Of Kisses and Dinner Parties
by all-the-angels
Summary: It was expected that Shion attend this party; the party was the four-year anniversary of the rebirth of NO.6. In Shion's eyes, however, it was the anniversary of something very different and far more painful. It was the four-year anniversary of Nezumi's disappearance, the four-year anniversary of a promise of reunion that felt silly and broken. Reunion fic, multi-chapter TBC
1. Chapter 1

It was a celebration, which, by definition, meant an act of good-natured company and festivities. However, celebrating was the last thing Shion felt like doing.

He sighed and closed the curtains to cover the glass door that lead to his balcony; the weather was promising, of course, because not even the angriest of Gods wanted to ruin a good party. This particular party had been in the works for approximately two months, and had been the talk of the city for the same amount of time. The celebration was to take place in the ballroom located in the newly-built town hall, as the previous authorities of NO.6 liked to operate in secret and never thought it necessary nor wise to build such a public display of their political power, which was located on the second floor of the building. The building itself was a sparkling display of architectural brilliance, it's walls consisting of bricks of limestone that glittered in the sunlight. It was bright and white and friendly and inviting, which was a feeling that Shion was trying to create as he envisioned the new, more promising future of NO.6. Indeed, the building itself was entirely of Shion's design- well, with a little assistance from pictures of grand theaters that he once saw in an underground library in years long since past, and also snippets of advice given to him by a certain young girl who often visited his mother's bakery and had dreams and visions of castles. And it wasn't just the town hall that Shion was in charge of designing; he basically recreated NO.6 all on his own. He was the unofficial leader of NO.6, an official leader in the eyes of the citizens and simply a citizen himself in his own eyes.

Therefore, it was expected that Shion attend this party; the party was the four-year anniversary of the rebirth of NO.6. In Shion's eyes, however, it was the anniversary of something very different and far more painful. It was the four-year anniversary of Nezumi's disappearance, the four-year anniversary of a promise of reunion that felt silly and broken.

But he had promised that he would take Inukashi, who was both nervous and intrigued by the thought of going to a big party with people wearing clothes that had been washed just that day and didn't even have any tears or stains or anything. Rikiga, also, would be a big sponsor of the event and had practically begged Shion to attend for at least a portion of the evening, and also would he consider convincing his mother to attend? So Shion basically had no choice, because it wasn't in his genetic makeup for him to put his own desires over the desires of others, especially the desires of people that he loved dearly. He would attend the party, engage in small talk with the citizens of the new NO.6, smile and nod in response to the thanks he would surely receive even though he had thoroughly convinced himself that he did not deserve words of gratitude. All the while, he would pretend that he wasn't crumbling apart on the inside.

The wintertime cold had almost completely melted away, leaving blooming flowers and greener grass in it's wake. The trees were beginning to sprout tiny, dark green buds that, in a few weeks time, would cover the city with the most beautiful pink flower blossoms that anyone could ever remember seeing before. The weather felt like a beautiful picture, too; the wind wasn't as biting or as harsh, and gentle that evening, just a caress or a whisper that could only be felt every once in a while. The clouds had retreated for the night, and as the sun sunk below the horizon, NO.6 was blanketed by crimsons and golds, while the sky above the city's building tops was beginning to turn into a dark indigo, speckled with the first stars that sparkled just slightly brighter than the others. Simply put, it was a beautiful night, perfect for a beautiful party. The people, too, looked gorgeous; all of the women in their finest night dresses, a few inches taller that usual and their lips almost as dark as the wine. Their husbands were grudgingly stuffed into tight, dark suits with ties that brought out their eyes that made them feel as though they were suffocating throughout the night. The painted people in the town were filled to the brim with good cheer and cause for celebration, and their laughter and chatter rose up and filled the almost-warm sky with the sound of a good party. It was lovely and heart-warming, and Shion could almost find it in himself to bear it. Almost.

"Shion, I'm so glad you could make it! And Inukashi, you actually don't look like someone who's spent her entire life living with rangy mutts," Rikiga greeted Shion and Inukashi in the grand foyer, the front-most area in the glittering town hall building. Everyone was making their way up the stairways, ladies lifting the lacy bottoms of their dresses as they slowly made their way up the marble stairs located on either side of the large room, both stairways leading to a large door that opened to reveal the lovely ballroom where the actual party was to take place.

"Insult my dogs one more time and I'll kill you," Inukashi said smoothly, her [1] voice revealing none of her anger, though her eyes glinted dangerously with malice, crossing her arms as she glared up at Rikiga challengingly. She looked only slightly out of place in the refined setting; her appearance was extremely lovely, her hair freshly shampooed and conditioned and set atop her head in a messy buns, strands of her hair cascading past her shoulder and a single strand falling between her eyes. Her dress, too, fit in with the setting, though it didn't seem to suit her, a black dress that fit her snugly and stopped just past her knees. The only thing that really made her look different than the rest of the lovely ladies attending the party was her stance; her back was just slightly too straight, and she was standing lightly on her feet, as though ready to flee or attack at any given moment. It was difficult for her to adjust to a safe life after living her entire life in the West Block, and could never quite grasp that she no longer had to live in fear of being murdered at any time of the day.

"In front of all these people? Now, that wouldn't be in very good taste. It's such a lovely party," Rikiga replied in a similarly easy tone, smiling at the both of them. Shion could only roll his eyes at the exchange, since he knew how Rikiga cared for Inukashi like a daughter, and Inukashi cared for him like a father. Rikiga turned his attention to Shion and reached out to shake the younger man's hand. "This is all thanks to you, m'boy! You should be very proud of yourself!"

"I shouldn't be allowed to receive all of the credit," Shion replied, smiling. "Everyone helped an equal amount, and we should all be proud."

"Nonsense!" Rikiga boomed, and his cheery tone echoed and bounced around the room. Shion suddenly felt very hot in his suit as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Rikiga's expression suddenly changed into something more gentle and he leaned in closer to Shion, his eyes serious. "I understand what else this day means for you, Shion. But the future is bright. Try to enjoy yourself tonight, and remember that there are other people in the world."

"He's just a rat," Inukashi agreed, reaching up to place a hand on Shion's shoulder. "He's not even worth missing."

"Don't... don't say that about him," Shion said quietly, shrugging Inukashi's hand off of his shoulder. He understood that the two of them cared for him, really, and they were just trying to help, but those were _not_ the words he wanted to hear, not when he was just barely keeping afloat and struggling not to drown in the helplessness of it all. "I should go and find my mother, she said to meet up with her as soon as I arrived."

"Shion!" Rikiga called after him, but Shion was already making his way towards the stairway. His shoes sounded unnaturally loud on the marble as he climbed the steps to the ballroom. The music floated down to him from the open doors and he felt his dread grow with each step he took. He was an adult, though, and he took a deep breath and smiled as he entered the room. He was a symbol for these people, and he understood that; he disappeared a failure, and reappeared as the reborn savior who represented purity and new beginnings. It would be in horrid taste for him to mope while the rest were celebrating the success of the city.

"Mister Shion!"

Shion blinked in surprise when he felt someone tug on his hand. He looked down and saw Lily, grinning up at him. She was ten years old now, and was permanently living with Karan in the bakery. She had begun to see Shion as someone like an older brother, and clung to him whenever she saw him. "Shion!"

"You look very pretty, Lily!" Shion told her, and sunk down to one knee. He put his hands on her shoulders and grinned. "Did my mama get you that dress?"

"Yeah! She said it was a reward for helping out at the bakery!" Lily said excitedly, swaying back and forth so her purple dress fluttered. She grinned widely at Shion and leaned closer. "Miss Karan looks very pretty tonight, too! And so do all of the other pretty ladies. I hope I can look at pretty someday!"

"You look even prettier than them right now," Shion whispered to her, as though telling her an extremely private secret. He grinned when she blushed, and kissed her forehead before rising to his feet. "Do you know where my mama is now?"

Lily shook her head, and Shion sighed. He ruffled her hair and promised to dance with her later before making his way across the room. He was making very, very slow progress. He was stopped after walking for a mere five seconds, and whenever any conversation finished he was immediately swept into another. Every person seemed determined to thank Shion for all of his hard work, and didn't seem to consider that he may have heard the exact same thing thirty times already and was quite tired of hearing it by now. But Shion was Shion, so he smiled and nodded and thanked them profusely, shaking their hands and commenting on the progress of the orphanage that he had opened in the first few weeks of the reconstruction, or complimenting a woman's dress and expressing his regards to the other city officials.

"It's difficult to believe that you're such a young boy!" A middle-aged man remarked to him, and Shion smiled in response and made an excuse not to respond with words by taking a sip of his wine. Shion didn't much like the taste of alcohol, but the glass was pushed onto him by a stuttering and blushing waitress, so he felt it rude to refuse. "How old are you anyway?"

"I'll be twenty-one this September," Shion replied, since he felt as though he couldn't properly respond with mere gestures. The man shook his head in wonder, laughing. Shion smiled sheepishly and shifted uncomfortably, always unsettled by receiving praise.

"Amazing," The stranger said. "And you've accomplished so much!"

"Everyone is to thank for the success of the city," Shion corrected, tipping his wine glass slightly, the dark liquid quivering as he focused his gaze on the glass. "It is not the doing of a single person; rather, the combined efforts of everyone who contributed."

"You're too modest," The man's wife said to him, clinging to her husband's arm. She leaned closer to Shion, and Shion felt obligated to meet her gaze. "My brother also volunteered to be a part of the Reconstruction Committee, and he told me that you always put in more hours than everyone else. Wasn't the orphanage your idea?"

"I'm just the first who said anything, I'm sure everyone was considering it," Shion mumbled.

"You also lead the fusion between NO.6 and the West Block, didn't you?" The man chimed in once more, and Shion found himself wishing he knew the man's name. Surely he was supposed to be familiar with everyone here? "And you also organized it all, didn't you? The provisions, too, were under your supervision. It's thanks to you that everything always went so smoothly."

"I've also seen you break up many fights," His wife said. "You know, when those riots broke out when the West Block first joined our city?"

"I'm happy that you think so highly of me," was all Shion could say in response, unsure of what else to say. Those things were just expected of him, and he carried out the things he was supposed to carry out without a complaint or another word. Nezumi taught him never to complain, to do what he had to do to survive. He also had his own promise between the two of them to carry out, to tear down the wall of NO.6 and dissolve any hostilities and differences between the citizens of NO.6 and those who lived in the West Block. When he considered it, when he put it all into thoughts, he knew it was all for Nezumi.

Nezumi was the person who gave him the idea to get rid of the wall between NO.6 and the outside world. Nezumi was the person who taught him that you had to work hard and fight to get what you want and to accomplish what you wanted done. Nezumi was the person who sang for him and taught him that, even when everything was dark and falling down, there will always be a reason to fight and to carry on. Nezumi was the person that Shion fought for, the person that Shion built this glittering city for. Shion worked so hard so that he could finally, _finally_ feel proud of himself when Nezumi ruffled Shion's hair and said, "Well done, your majesty." Everything Shion did was unconsciously for the sake of Nezumi, the person who taught Shion how to truly live.

And Shion hadn't seen Nezumi in four years, and was instead surrounded by all of these people who painted Shion as some kind of angel of rebirth, and who thanked him profusely for something that Shion didn't even do for them. He couldn't hear a single word these people were saying to him, and he continued on his way across the floor in a blur. It wasn't until a new song started playing that Shion finally snapped to reality, stirred by a small hand slipping itself into Shion's.

"Papa?"

Shion looked down in surprise, and saw Sionn [2] standing in front of him, her head tilted. The little girl he saved from the West Block was four now, her hair falling past her shoulders in perfect little ringlets. Her eyes were wide and much like Shion's, except more brown than red. Shion realized that Karan must've brought her here, since Sionn was staying with Karan that weekend. Shion smiled softly at her and sunk down to one knee, taking her hands in his.

"What's up, sweetheart?" Shion squeezed her hands in his, and she smiled widely at him. "Can't find mama?"

"Just with mama," Sionn said, shaking her head, her curls bouncing around as she did so. had taken to calling Inukashi 'mama', and Shion was 'papa'. The two of them often took turns looking after her, and she spent a lot of time in both the renovated hotel and also in the city. Whenever Shion was working late, she stayed with Karan, who adored Sionn and looked after her just as a grandmother would. It made Shion so happy to think that Sionn still had a family, even though her true family was lost. "Looking for you."

"What for?"

"Dance," she smiled sweetly at him, and Shion felt his heart swell. He rose up to his feet and lifted her up from under her arms, so that her feet were on top of him and he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally stepping on her tiny feet. He took her hands back in his and smiled down at her.

"How can I refuse?" Shion slowly began rotating in place, while the other couples around them were dancing a more complicated waltz. Sionn didn't seem to mind that she wasn't quite dancing like an adult and hummed along with the music being played by the grand piano and violins in the corner of the room.

"Don't be sad, papa," Sionn said suddenly, after an extended moment of silence between the two of them. Shion looked down at her in surprise. He opened his mouth to protest, but she started speaking again. "Your eyes are sad."

"You're right," Shion said, realizing he couldn't lie to her. "I miss someone a lot."

"Who?" She asked curiously, and Shion looked away for a moment.

"It's... someone who's extremely important to me," Shion said. "I don't know if I'll ever see them again."

"You will," Sionn said, reaching forward to wrap her arms around Shion's waist, burying her face in his suit jacket. "If you don't, though, it's okay."

Shion ran his fingers through her soft, brown hair gently, and wished what she said was true. For that moment, though, he was content to sway back and forth with her, a little girl who had no reason in the world to be sad, who hummed a waltz in the softest little voice and who told him that everything would be okay.

* * *

Shion should have realized that he was expected to make a speech, and the entire room rushed when the music stopped and Shion found himself all by himself in front of the large window next to the band, all eyes in the room on him. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably, running his finger along the rim of his wine glass before looking up to meet the eyes of all the people of NO.6, all of these people who trust him.

"I suppose you all want me to say something," Shion finally began, shoving his free hand in his pocket, just to have something to do with it. "And I guess I should've been prepared for something like this, but I never quite know what to say."

This was met with muffled laughter, scattered about the room, and everyone smiled at him even though he hadn't thought he had said anything funny. Sionn and Lily stood at the front of the crowd, since they were so much shorter than the adults, with a bunch of other children. They all looked at him like he was some kind of hero.

"It's been four years," Shion continued. "And so much has changed since then. For the people in NO.6, whom I've grown up with. Also, for the people of the West Block, who I once feared but lived with for half a year. They are the strongest people I have ever met, in more ways than one, and I'm so happy that they've found a home here. They're part of what makes NO.6 feel like home to me as well."

He found Karan's eyes in the ground, and she beamed at him in the way that only a proud mother could. Rikiga stood beside her and gave him a thumbs up, making Inukashi, who stood on his other side, scowl at him. She met Shion's gaze and gave him the smallest of smiles.

"All night, and also many nights before this, you have all thanked me. And I've said you're welcome, and you most definitely are so, but I want you all to realize that I am not the person that you should be thanking. You should be thanking the people who held a hand out to you and helped you stand after the city fell apart. You should thank those who set aside their differences to give those in the West Block a home. You should thank those who spent hours, countless hours, demolishing the wall around the city. Those who removed the rubble and the debris, who planted flowers and built new homes.

There are also those like Rikiga-san that you should thank," Shion went on, once again meeting Rikiga's gaze, and in return every set of eyes in the room moved to Rikiga, who flushed at the sudden attention. "He spent years building his own insurance, and was very rich, in a way. When I met him, he was a man interested in his own survival, and would not easily part with his wealth. But I've seen him change over these years. He's donated so much to the reconstruction of NO.6, and lead the people of the West Block in ways that I could not. And he's been like a father to me in these past years, supporting me and helping me when I felt like I couldn't go on. So, Rikiga-san, thank you so much for everything you've done."

Shion raised his glass of wine in Rikiga's direction, smiling when every other adult in the room followed suite, mumbling their thanks before taking a sip of their wine. A man standing behind Rikiga thumped him on the back, grinning, and Rikiga beamed at Shion in gratitude.

"There's also Karan, my mother, who spent countless hours baking food so that those who lost their homes could eat. It's something that's extremely important, but also something that most of us take for granted," Shion said. "I learned while living in the West Block that a single meal can be the most precious thing in the world, and all you need to keep going. So, Karan, thank you for how hard you've worked."

There was a more enthusiastic applause for her, as she was already a popular resident of NO.6, and she met Shion's eyes with her own teary gaze, a gentle smile on her lips.

"And, finally, you should also thank Inukashi, someone I met in the West Block and my best friend." Inukashi stiffened in surprise as she was suddenly the center of attention. "It was thanks to her lodgings that many of those who lived in the West Block stayed alive. She'll insist it was for the money, but I know her well enough that she wouldn't have helped those people if she didn't care. So, Inukashi, thank you. Thank you so much."

Everyone cheered for her, and she blushed furiously under the gaze of everyone in the room. Everyone drank to her, and to have something to do and look at, she took a sip of her own wine. She gave Shion another one of her small smiles, to show that she was truly grateful for his words. Everyone grew silent again, though, and Shion realized he was expected to close this somehow. He looked down at his glass again.

"Someone told me once... that if you want something to happen, then you have to do it yourself. You have to fight and struggle to get the things you want. And it's because of that person that I'm alive right now, and that this city can be wonderful, far more wonderful than it has ever been. But it's not just because of me, it's because of you. So take the time to thank and appreciate yourselves. NO.6 is the brilliant, beautiful place because of all of the brilliant, beautiful people who live here. So, thank all of you. And thank you for attending tonight."

As the crowd raised their glasses and cheered for him, Shion's eyes swept across the crowd. Each face was bright and smiling, and he suddenly felt so happy, so _proud_ to have been able to assist in building a home for these people. All of these people who helped and supported each other were happy and proud of him of all people, and he couldn't help but smile widely.

His gaze suddenly stopped and he froze, glued to the spot. Because his gaze met another in the crowd.

In the very back of the room, a man was leaning against the wall, raising his glass to Shion along with the rest of them. He was smirking, of course, like he always was. But Shion recognized it and knew it was a special expression, one that was only reserved for him. His eyes were gentle and soft for once, but still a striking grey.

He was there.

"_Nezumi_," Shion breathed, and the sound was lost as all of the attendants returned to the party. Nezumi slipped away from the crowd and to the balcony, and Shion watched him go.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_[1]- I decided to make Inukashi a girl in this story, since I usually make Inu a boy in my other stories. I know the issue of his/her gender is a popular one in our fanbase, and I want to appeal to both sides of the argument. Thankfully, Inu wont play a huge part in this story, though it wont be insignificant, so I hope those who think Inu's a boy can forgive me. =3_

_[2]- In the novel translation I read, the baby's name was 'Shionn', but I wanted to distinguish her and Shion's names as much as I could. I also have no idea what the baby's gender was, so I'm going with girl. =P_

I know I know I knoooooow I should be updating Wildflower Classrooms, but I suddenly had this idea whilst watching Star Trek and didn't want to lose it. I really meant for it to be just a longish one-shot, but when it got to be over 15,000 words before I was even halfway finished I thought it best to just make it into a multi-chapter fic. It's getting so long oh my Goooooood

I'm still experiencing writer's block for Wildflower Classrooms, so please bear with me! I love you all!


	2. Chapter 2

It was hard for Shion to get to the balcony, as he was constantly stopped and congratulated by everyone. Rikiga swept him up in a huge, tight bear hug, looking slightly hurt when Shion mumbled an apology before shoving his way past. Inukashi started to stop him, but she recognized the expression on his face and let him be. And finally, _finally_, after far too many conversations and handshakes and hugs, he reached the balcony door. He took a deep breath and smoothed down the front of his suit, running his fingers through his hair and breathing deeply again. Then, he opened the door and slipped outside.

"Fantastic speech, your majesty."

And oh, _oh_ he looked exactly the same. His hair didn't seem to have grown, so Shion knew that Nezumi trimmed it regularly. So did that mean Nezumi had been well off? Shion hoped so. Nezumi raised an eyebrow as Shion continued to stare, but didn't say anything about it just yet. He was wearing a suit, or at least _had_ been wearing a suit, but the jacket was missing and his tie was loose. It suited Nezumi, of course, this slightly disheveled look. Shion let out a long deep breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. He felt like he was going to faint.

"See something you like?" Nezumi teased, finally breaking the silence between them.

"Yes," Shion said without hesitation, and Nezumi laughed quietly, his eyes gentle with fondness. Nezumi only ever looked at Shion like that. "A... Are you..." Shion cleared his throat and tried again. "Are you real?"

"That's a stupid question," Nezumi said, and his tone was teasing but his expression was serious.

"A question isn't stupid if you don't know the answer."

"That's not true. That was a stupid question."

"Does that mean you're real?" Shion asked again quietly, so unsure. He took a few cautious steps forward, scared to take his eyes off of Nezumi for even just a second. The gentle, almost-spring breeze played with Nezumi's hair, dark in the moonlight, and Nezumi met his gaze with a similar desperation. "Nezumi, you need to answer me. You just have to."

"I'm real," Nezumi murmured, and straightened up from where he was leaning against the balcony railing. He began walking towards Shion, and Shion took another few steps closer, overwhelmingly eager to close the distance between them.

"How can I be sure?" Shion questioned, looking up at Nezumi. They were close enough now that Shion could see that Nezumi had grown another few inches, while Shion himself had just barely grown a single inch. Later, he knew he'd complain about the height difference, but he didn't really mind. He bit his lip and reached a hand out, meeting Nezumi's eyes. He wanted Nezumi to know, to /feel/ how badly he wanted to believe that Nezumi was there, real, actually with Shion again.

Nezumi reached out and took Shion's hand in his own, and suddenly pulled Shion forward. Shion stumbled and made a small noise of surprise before steadying himself, and Nezumi did something that surprised Shion. He pressed Shion's hand against his chest, just over his heart, so that Shion could feel his heartbeat. Shion looked up at Nezumi in awe, feeling Nezumi's heartbeat quicken in response. This position had been assumed so many years before, in an underground library that smelled like aging books and Macbeth soup and was a little too cold for either of them to be comfortable. It felt like _home_. And, then, in that moment, it was just too much for Shion, and he felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm real. I'm alive."

"_Nezumi_!"

Shion launched himself into Nezumi's arms with a sudden, desperate sob, wrapping his arms around Nezumi's neck as tightly as he possibly could. He buried his face in Nezumi's chest, and he knew he was getting tears all over Nezumi's nice dress shirt but he couldn't really find himself to care. All he could do was murmur, "Nezumi... Nezumi..." over and over and over again, while clinging to the most important person in his life as tightly and as desperately as he could. He heard Nezumi sigh and wrap his arms around Shion in return, one arm around Shion's waist and one hand tangling itself in his hair, fingers winding through the snowy white strands. Nezumi leaned down to press his lips to Shion's hair, and Shion felt the pressure and made another small noise in response, and he wasn't sure if it was another desperate sound or one of contentment or one of relief. All he really knew was that he was clinging to Nezumi for dear life, and it felt like Nezumi was doing the same.

"What the hell took you do _long_?" Shion whimpered, holding Nezumi even tighter. Nezumi wove his fingers through Shion's hair and didn't immediately respond. Shion sniffed again and pulled back slightly so he could look up at Nezumi, trying to re-memorize Nezumi's face with his eyes, to recall every last detail.

"Fuck, I missed you, Shion," Nezumi finally whispered, and Shion smiled softly as he finally heard the words he'd fantasized about hearing for the past four years. Nezumi untangled his fingers from Shion's hair so that he could rest his hand on Shion's cheek, his eyes searching Shion's while Shion tried to think of how to respond.

"Nezumi... I don't even know what to say," Shion admitted, and Nezumi traced Shion's angry red scar with his thumb. "I've been wishing, hoping, _praying_ to be able to talk to you for so long, and now I have no idea what to say."

"You've never been good with words," Nezumi agreed, smirking. Shion laughed a bit, but the sound was slightly hysteric, and Nezumi's expression turned softer. "It's fine, I've grown used to it."

"When did you get here?"

"About an hour ago."

"You should've found me," Shion chastised, and Nezumi laughed.

"Believe me, I tried. You're a very popular guy, Shion," Nezumi replied, and Shion blushed in response. "You've done well, your majesty."

"I did it for you," Shion blurted out. Nezumi's eyes widened at the sudden confession, and Shion looked away in embarrassment, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Nezumi's chest. "I told you that I'd get rid of the wall. I did. So there's no more NO.6... at least, not like it used to be."

"I'm proud of you," Nezumi whispered, kissing Shion's hair again. "You did it like you said you would."

"I did it for you," Shion repeated. "So... so, I mean..."

He took a deep breath and straighted up again, sliding his hands down from around Nezumi's neck so that they were resting on Nezumi's chest. Shion gripped the fabric there, bunching it in his fists, and felt the wet spots from where he had cried.

"Shion?" Nezumi questioned, tilting his head to meet Shion's gaze. "What is it?"

"Did I make a place that you would... I mean, is this place somewhere that... Is it better? Is it enough... for you to..?"

Shion bit his lip and started trembling, looking down again. "I want you to... just, Nezumi, please..."

"Shion," Nezumi said, putting his hands on Shion's shoulders and trying to meet his gaze. "Shion, look at me."

"Nezumi, just don't leave me again," Shion finally choked out, squeezing his eyes shut and tightening his grip on Nezumi's shirt. "I can't do that again, Nezumi. I just can't."

"Shion."

"I missed you so much," Shion whimpered, and he was immediately overwhelmed with the fear of Nezumi disappearing again. He had to tell him, had to let him know that he couldn't just up and leave again. He can't keep doing that to Shion, leaving him alone for years at a time. "Nezumi, I've been so alone and I can't do it anymore. All of these people are here, but, still, all night I felt so alone that I could hardly stand it. It feels like I'm dying, Nezumi. I mean, sure, I have Inukashi and Rikiga and mama and everyone else, but they're not _you_. They wont read to me or sing to me or teach me things I didn't know before, they don't make me feel like... like I'm more _complete_ than I am on my own. Nezumi, just... _stay_ with me, this time. You don't understand, can't _possibly_ understand how it feels... Just stay, please, I can't-"

Nezumi cut Shion off by taking Shion's face in his hands and tilting it up, leaning down to kiss him suddenly on the lips.

Shion sobbed against Nezumi's lips before returning the kiss, tangling his fingers in Nezumi's hair and trying to get as close to him as was physically possible. Shion had only kissed twice in his entire life, and both of those kisses had been with Nezumi; first, a goodbye kiss in the guise of a goodnight kiss and initiated by Shion. The second, a promise made by Nezumi and initiated by the same. Shion had had the opportunity to kiss others, of course, after Nezumi left; many girls had confessed their attraction to him, as he was the Hero of the City and that apparently made him attractive. Shion had always refused, however, because he never felt anything other than mutual respect for them. Things were different with Nezumi, though. Things were always different with Nezumi. Shion felt clumsy, like there were too many parts of him that he didn't know what to do with, and was extremely aware of Nezumi's hands on his cheeks, and then his neck, and then sliding down to settle on his waist. Shion wondered if kisses were supposed to feel this way, like his brain was disappeared and was replaced by some sort of airy hotness, making him completely unable to think about or process anything other than Nezumi, Nezumi's lips and hands and chest pressed against his. Shion felt deliriously happy, then, although Nezumi hadn't yet given him an answer.

Nezumi broke the kiss far too soon in Shion's opinion, and Shion made a small noise of discontentment that made Nezumi chuckle. Nezumi appraised Shion fondly, running a hand through Shion's hair in a familiar gesture, and Shion couldn't help but lean into the touch, making Nezumi smile gently in response. Nezumi's smiles were such a special gift and it made Shion feel warm again.

"_Thou'st spoken right. Tis true_," Nezumi murmured in quotation. "_The wheel is come full circle_-"

"_I am here_," Shion finished for him. "King Lear."

"Very good," Nezumi said, smirking again.

"I don't understand, though. What-"

"The world doesn't interest me anymore, because I've seen it," Nezumi explained, tapping his pointer finger on the tip of Shion's nose. "_The wheel is come full circle_. I've been around the world, and yet I still ended up here. I suppose that means that I'm here for a reason, doesn't it?"

"And what reason would that be?" Shion asked curiously, and Nezumi rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"So clueless, as usual," Nezumi grumbled, flicking Shion on the forehead and grinning when Shion made a noise of protest. "I didn't want to miss such a grand party."

"It is a nice party," Shion agreed, nodding. "Rikiga-san did a lot of the planning, plus donated a lot of money so that it could be as lovely as it is."

"Oh, yes. I saw him," Nezumi nodded. "Inukashi, too. She's a girl, apparently."

"She's very pretty, isn't she?" Shion whispered conspiratorially, smiling. "She hates it when I say that, I think because it makes her feel weak. But I don't think being pretty makes you weak, so I'm not sure why she thinks that."

"Mmm," Nezumi hummed, playing with Shion's hair again.

"Nezumi, you never answered my question," Shion prompted, taking a step back so that he could look at Nezumi more seriously. He felt much colder with space between them, and the not-yet-warm breeze made him shiver. He felt so lost with the sudden separation that he felt the need to reach forward and take Nezumi's hands in his own, simply so that he wouldn't have to go without any contact between them.

"I did, just not quite with the right words," Nezumi disagreed. He adjusted their hands so that their fingers were twined together, and lifted them to his lips, pressing a kiss to one of Shion's fingers. He looked at Shion again, then, and there was a foreign uncertainty in his eyes, and it made him look like the wounded child that made his way through Shion's open window with the winds of a typhoon. "But would you... would you really let me stay?"

"That's a ridiculous question!" Shion exclaimed, surprised by the question. "Why would I ever hesitate?"

"You have every right to refuse me," Nezumi said, and he sounded so vulnerable that it tugged at Shion's heart. Nezumi looked down, away, anywhere but Shion. "Every reason to hate me, even. I had no right to... to run away, just because I was scared. I left you alone and there will never be an excuse for that. I don't even deserve to stay with you, Shion. I didn't deserve you the first night I met you, I didn't deserve you when I took you away from your city, and I certainly don't deserve you now, not after I abandoned you."

"Nezumi," Shion tilted his head in wonder. He wasn't used to Nezumi being unsure of himself, and for some reason it terrified him. "You saved me. From lots of things."

But Nezumi just shook his head, still unable to meet Shion's eyes. Shion bit his lip and searched for the words to ease Nezumi's uncertainty, and cleared his throat before quoting, "_Absence from those we love is self from self._"

"_A deadly banishment_," Nezumi finished with a whisper. He hesitantly met Shion's eyes again. "Two Gentlemen from Verona."

"Very good," Shion grinned, before his smile melted away and he continued to speak more seriously. "I never did, do not currently, and never will blame you for anything. You've never made my life anything but lovely."

"You're wrong."

"I think it's up to me to decide," Shion said more loudly. "If you really, truly feel guilty about leaving, then there's really only one thing you can do to make it better."

"What is it?" Nezumi asked, and Shion smiled.

"Just stay with me," Shion said, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world. Nezumi took a step forward and leaned down, resting his forehead against Shion's with a deep sigh. Shion leaned up, bumping their noses together with a small smile. "Can just do that for me?"

"I think I can manage that," Nezumi finally muttered, and Shion let out a quiet laugh of relief. Nezumi pressed another quick kiss to Shion's lips. "By the way Shion, you were wrong."

"Huh? What about?"

"Earlier, you said that I don't understand. That I can't possibly understand," Nezumi said. "You're wrong. I understand. In fact, I may understand just a little more than you. I felt lonely, too."

Shion searched Nezumi's eyes as he spoke, and saw a familiar, haunted emotion that he had also felt in the years that they were apart. Thinking about Nezumi feeling the same loneliness... the feeling of falling into so many pieces that his resolve had turned to nothing but powder to be swept away by the lightest breeze. It hurt to think about Nezumi being as lonely as he was, without anyone to hold him when he had nightmares.

"I don't want to think about it anymore," Shion finally protested, and smiled. "You're here now."

"Yeah," Nezumi nodded and pulled Shion into another embrace. They stood there for another moment, and the soft breeze carried the sound of the laughter from the party towards them. "I probably shouldn't keep you from your party any longer."

"Come back in with me," Shion suggested. "You could see Inukashi and Rikiga-san. Oh! You can also meet my mama. She's wanted to see you almost as much as I have."

"If his majesty could stand to be seen with a rat such as myself," Nezumi replied, and Shion grinned as he broke the embrace. He took Nezumi's hand in his own and pulled him towards the door. "Wait, Shion."

Shion turned back should and looked up at Nezumi curiously, blushing when Nezumi stepped closer to him. Nezumi reached down and straightened Shion's tie, which had become significantly disheveled during their reunion.

"The hero of the city has to look presentable," Nezumi said with a smirk. "You look more like a child in his father's suit."

"It fits," Shion sniffed indignantly, and Nezumi laughed in response. Shion smiled and took Nezumi's hand, opening the door of the balcony and leading him inside, back to the party.

* * *

"Congratulations on the Reforestation Project, Shion!" Another man stopped Shion to shake his hand and express his regards. Nezumi shifted from one foot to another, slightly uncomfortable. Shion shook the man's hand and smiled genuinely. "Extremely ambitious of you! To be honest with you, I didn't see the point at first!"

"There are many aspects of reconstruction, and we have to consider them all," Shion told him, glancing once at Nezumi and then back at the stranger. "We can't just focus on what's within the city."

"You're a child prodigy, Shion," The man said, thumping Shion on the shoulder and making him stumble slightly. Nezumi put a hand on the small of Shion's back to steady him and attracted the attention of the man for the first time. "Ah, who is this? I don't think I've met you before!"

"This is Nezumi," Shion said, after Nezumi made it apparent that he wasn't going to respond. "He's... a very important friend. We lived together in the West Block."

"Why haven't I seen you around, Nezumi?" The man asked curiously, and Nezumi met his questioning gaze evenly.

"I haven't been around," Nezumi answered coolly, as though immediately distrusting the man. Shion elbowed him gently in the side as an unspoken warning to behave himself. Nezumi glanced down at Shion before putting on a false smile. "I decided to do some traveling, after the wall fell. I visited the other five cities."

"Oh! I was born in NO.3, actually! How'd you like it?"

"I visited in the wintertime, so it was very lovely," Nezumi said, and began conversing with the NO.3 man about the mountains and the wilderness around NO.3. Shion imagined Nezumi, wrapped up in winter clothes and jackets and boots, watching the snow fall. But then he remembered that Nezumi was probably far too stubborn to don anything more than his signature jacket and scarf, so he was probably freezing. Shion hoped he didn't get a cold, and made a mental note to take Nezumi out shopping for proper winter clothes before winter came. Of course, they had many months to go.

"Shion?"

Shion snapped back to reality, and saw that both the stranger and Nezumi were looking at him. "I'm sorry, I must have spaced out. What were you saying?"

"Airhead," Nezumi muttered, and Shion leaned into Nezumi's side and elbowed him again. Nezumi wrapped an arm around Shion's waist in response to keep him there, and nodded toward the man. The man raised his glass to them in regards before leaving them to rejoin the party. Nezumi let out a deep sigh. "How many people have we spoken to now? This is exhausting."

"Only seven, Nezumi," Shion said, biting back a laugh. Nezumi shook his head. "You get used to it."

"How about you do all the talking? I'll be the pretty face," Nezumi suggested, and Shion bumped his hip against Nezumi's at the suggestion. "I think it's a quality idea."

"You should meet these people, if you're going to live here," Shion reminded him, and felt a tiny bit of anxiety at those words. What if Shion had misunderstood, or if Nezumi changed his mind? Nezumi could disappear and be swept away by the lightest breath of air. "It's called being polite."

"I've never been polite," Nezumi grumbled, but his tone was resigned and Shion felt like he could breathe a little easier. Nezumi took Shion's hand in his and the two of them continued walking through the crowd, weaving between couples and families and political officials discussing the current ongoing projects. "A reforestation project, huh?"

"I thought it'd be a nice idea," Shion said, smiling up at the taller man. "You grew up in a place like that, after all. Besides, excluding inside the city, the world around here is pretty barren. We can't all live inside little houses and forget about the rest of the world forever. We should try to bring the planet back to life."

"Wont be easy," Nezumi commented. He took two glasses of wine from a waitress walking by, handing one to Shion and taking a sip of his own.

"We can't fix it in this lifetime," Shion agreed. He ran his finger along the rim of the wine glass. "If I can get it started, though, then I'd like to."

"Noble of you, your majesty," Nezumi teased, and Shion looked away in embarrassment, bringing his wine to his lips to avoid replying. "I assume you're living in a castle, then?"

"Made out of solid gold," Shion said. "Floors of marble and a hundred servants."

"This place has floors of marble and a hundred servants," Nezumi remarked, reminding Shion that places like that did, indeed, exist, and weren't terrible difficult to come back. "Limestone lasts longer."

"We all built this place, and it belongs to no one. And there are no servants, just volunteers," Shion corrected. "It's not a kingdom, Nezumi."

"Oh, yes it is," Nezumi informed him, smirking at him over his glass. "And you're the citizens' very own Happy Prince."

"Quit teasing," Shion mumbled. "I suppose you're the little swallow, then?"

Nezumi blinked in surprise, before laughing with a smile, ruffling Shion's hair for the third time that night. "I guess so."

"Will you tell me about it, then?" Shion asked, as he stood on his toes to look over the sea of people around him. He was eager to find Rikiga and Inukashi and show them that Nezumi had returned, just as he had promised. To remind that Nezumi would never break a promise he made to Shion, that he was worth waiting for, that they were wrong about him. That Nezumi was a good person. "Your traveling?"

"Perhaps," Nezumi replied, but he sounded somewhat reluctant and withdrawn, so Shion didn't pursue the issue. Nezumi would probably tell him all about his years away from home, someday. Just then, though, Shion was content to have Nezumi by his side again. "You look even more like a child when you do that, Shion."

"Shut up, we're the same age," Shion retorted, but sunk down to his regular height and pursed his lips in quiet irritation. "I wonder where they went."

"Who?"

"Inukashi and Rikiga-san," Shion replied. "I'm sure they'd love to see you."

"I doubt that," Nezumi muttered, but Shion pretended not to hear him and continued scanning the crowd for a familiar head of brown hair or a giant man with a booming laugh. "It's a crowded place, Shion. Why don't we just leave?"

"Believe me, I'd love to go," Shion said quietly, so only Nezumi could hear. "But I'm expected to be here. For some reason."

"You're their hero, no matter how much you'd like to believe otherwise," Nezumi said, raising an eyebrow to silence Shion when he opened his mouth to protest. "Your speech only reinforced that. It was the only time I've ever heard you be eloquent with your words. A little unsettling to hear, actually. You've really grown up."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shion said stubbornly, trying to avoid the subject. Everyone could call him a hero as much as they wanted, but he did everything he did for purely selfish reasons. All he wanted was to make a home for Nezumi to come back to. And now that Nezumi was back, Shion would work even harder to make it a wonderful city, so that Nezumi would never leave again. "Oh! There they are!"

"Shion! Where did you disappear to?" Rikiga boomed, clearing a path through the people simply by marching in Shion's direction. When he broke free of the crowd and continued toward the small corner where Nezumi and Shion had retreated, Shion saw the he was pulling an apparently reluctant Inukashi by her arm. "We were looking everywhere for you, and-"

He froze in place when he saw Nezumi standing by Shion's side, complete picture of utter indifference with his loose tie and half-full glass of wine pressed to his lips. Shion could feel him stiffen, however, and knew that Nezumi was nervous or angry or upset or some other unpleasant emotion; Shion pressed closer against Nezumi's side as a means of comfort. Nezumi relaxed infinitesimally.

"Nezumi?" Inukashi asked incredulously, taking another step forward. Her eyes narrowed and she blew the strand of hair out of her face in a gesture of irritation, though the effect of it was somewhat sullied when it immediately fell back into place. "What are you doing here?"

"I like large parties," Nezumi said in his usual cold and bored tone. "I apologize for my late arrival, my invitation must've gotten lost in the mail."

"There weren't any invitations, Nezumi," Shion informed him, and Nezumi rolled his eyes while bumping his shoulder against Shion's. "Oh, you knew that."

"What are you doing here?" Inukashi repeated, her eyes growing colder. Nezumi met her gaze evenly.

"I'm here because I promised Shion I would be," Nezumi said. He noticed, from the corner of his eye, that Shion looked down at those words and look visibly discouraged. Before he could ask what was wrong, though, Rikiga spoke up.

"When did you get here, Eve? Why didn't you say anything?" Rikiga asked, still looking shaken at the sight of Nezumi.

"I arrived in NO.6 a few hours ago, and almost immediately came here. I had to clean up first, of course," Nezumi replied. "I apologize for not seeing to you, but I wanted to find Shion first."

"Shion!"

Shion's attention snapped to a young couple standing just a ways away, waving him over. He bit his lip in hesitation, glancing up at Nezumi and back at Inukashi, a little hesitant to leave the two of them alone together. They called his name once more, and he sighed in resignation.

"I'll find you later, okay?" Shion said to Nezumi, touching the taller man's arm gently before walking back towards the crowd of people, where several of them called out to him, and he was soon swallowed by the crowd.

"Okay," Nezumi murmured, far too late for Shion to hear. He watched Shion disappear, surrounded by other, less significant people before returning his attention to Inukashi and Rikiga.

"What are you trying to do here, Nezumi?" Inukashi asked in a low voice, taking another step forward so as not to be overheard by others. "You've seen Shion, you've paid your debt. Now leave."

"My debt?" Nezumi repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You made Shion a promise, and you felt guilty about it, right? So you came back to see him so you could sleep better at night," Inukashi suggested, shrinking back slightly when Nezumi shot her a dark look, but still standing her ground. "That's it, isn't it? You're just gonna leave and it's gonna tear him apart again."

"What, exactly, are you implying?" Nezumi's voice was quiet, but that was what made it so dangerous. His eyes glinted sharply. "That Shion means nothing to me? That this is some kind of game to me? You don't understand a damn thing."

"I understand that you left him with a broken city and a broken heart," Inukashi shot back, her fists clenched at her sides, pointedly glancing in the general direction where Shion slipped away. "Just leave now before you make things even worse for him. He's been doing so well. You see everything that he's done here, and you don't have to come in and ruin it all."

"I'm not here to ruin anything," Nezumi said honestly, but he felt guilt constrict around him at her words. "I want to be here. I want to see Shion."

"You've seen him. That's enough."

"No, it's not. I don't expect you to understand, of course," Nezumi said coldly.

"I should be saying that to you!" Inukashi said more loudly, attracting a few looks from some of those standing by. "You've never loved or cared for anyone the entire time I've known you! Old dogs can't learn new tricks, you bastard. I understand that better than you. And what, you expect me to believe that Shion's different?"

"Don't talk about things you don't understand," Nezumi replied at a volume equal to hers. "It's none of your business who I talk to, where I go or for what reasons. Mind your own business, _mutt_."

"I don't know why you came back, but it certainly wasn't for anyone but yourself, you selfish _bastard_-"

"I dare you to repeat that, you disgusting-"

"Ahahaha! The two of you crack me up sometimes!" Rikiga laughed loudly, putting his arms around their necks and throwing his neck back as he continued laughing. Nezumi blinked and looked around, and realized that their argument had attracted quite a lot of attention. At Rikiga's words, though, they all slowly began trickling back into their previous conversations. Through a gap in the crowd, Nezumi saw Shion's white hair and saw that Shion was looking at them with concerned eyes. Before Nezumi could meet his gaze, however, Shion was pulled back into another conversation, and was once again out of reach. Rikiga pulled the two of them closer to him and growled quietly, "This is a public event, y'know? I paid too much money for you two to screw everything up because you want to throw a temper tantrum."

"Whatever," Inukashi hissed, breaking free of Rikiga's grip and straightening out her dress, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I'd say let's continue this conversation later, but I doubt you'll stick around long enough for that to happen."

And with that, she marched right out of the doors of the ballroom, and Nezumi could only assume that she was leaving. He would have to apologize to Shion for making Inukashi leave so suddenly.

As Inukashi's words flooded through him, he knew that he had more than that to apologize to Shion for.


	3. Chapter 3

Nezumi and Rikiga found Shion by the front door to the town hall about an hour later, saying goodbye to the guests as they made their way out. It was well after midnight at that point, and wives were leaving with their shoes in their hands and their husbands carrying sleeping children. They all thanked Shion for such a wonderful party, and, when Shion reminded them that it was all thanks to Rikiga, they promised to give him their regards another day. As he and Rikiga made their way down the marble steps towards Shion and the retreating guests, Nezumi took his time to appreciate what a marvelous building it really was. Rikiga seemed to be able to read Nezumi's mind as he observed the room around them, and laughed. "This was all Shion's design, you know. He's really turned this city into something wonderful."

But Nezumi knew that the city was only wonderful because Shion was there.

"Can we wait another four years before throwing another party?" Shion asked Rikiga when the two of them were close enough to speak, loosening his ties around his neck and looking absolutely exhausted. "I think I must've spoken to everyone here at least three different times, and each time they said the exact same thing. I'm grateful, of course, but I can only repeat myself so many times before losing my mind."

"You lost your mind a long time ago," Nezumi informed him, and Shion stuck his tongue out childishly as a retort. Nezumi grinned at the childish gesture and shoved his hands in his pockets, taking his place beside Shion as he continued saying goodbye to the party guests. "You should probably stop making Rikiga look like a terrible host, you know."

"I'm completely okay with it!" Rikiga laughed, clapping Shion on the shoulder while Shion smiled sheepishly. "You can run on home now, Shion. I've got this covered."

"I don't mind," Shion said, but didn't protest any further. He did want to get home as soon as possible, after all. "C'mon, Nezumi."

"Nice seeing you again, Eve," Rikiga said, taking Nezumi's hand in his own gigantic hand and shook hands with him, thumping him on the back afterwards. He leaned in closer and whispered, so that Shion wouldn't be able to overhear. "I'm gonna give you a chance to prove yourself before I run you out of town."

"I... thank you," Nezumi said, and his eyes and voice were so genuine that Rikiga couldn't help but smile in response. While he understood perfectly well that Inukashi had every reason to doubt, even to hate, Nezumi, but four years could change a person. And, really, if Nezumi didn't want to be there, then why would he have come in the first place? Nezumi surely deserved the benefit of the doubt, having assisted in the destruction of the Correctional Facility, and it was all thanks to him that Shion was even alive.

"Nezumi, come on!" Shion said impatiently, taking Nezumi's hand in both of his and tugging on it like an irritated child. Shion looked up at Rikiga and smiled brightly. "You threw a great party."

"You gave a great speech," Rikiga responded to Shion's compliment with one of his own, nodding to him before grinning and clapping him on the shoulder. The impact of it made Shion stumble again, and Rikiga laughed his booming laugh and it echoed around them. "Thanks for everything, m'boy."

"See you, Rikiga-san," Shion said his farewell and pulled on Nezumi's hand again, this time out the door of the grand building. The steps outside were made of limestone like the outer walls, and their dress shoes made unnaturally loud clacking sounds as the two of them made their way down the stairway. Shion breathed in the chilly air and let it out slowly, running a hand through his hair. "It's so nice to get out of there."

"You were very impressive," Nezumi commented, shoving his hands in his pockets again and looking up at the sky. As the two of them make their way down the sidewalk and away from the remainder of the celebration, Nezumi glanced up at the stars that had taken their positions in the sky. It was a crystal clear night, and the music that followed them on the wind was gentle and made the midnight feel all the more peaceful to him. "You're a natural."

"Are you insulting me again?" Shion asked warily, and Nezumi laughed, throwing an arm around Shion's shoulders.

"I meant something different by it that time," Nezumi assured him, using his other hand to ruffle Shion's hair yet again.

"I thought you liked my hair," Shion grumbled, but the familiarity of the action made him smile widely. "Why do you keep messing it up?"

"I can't help but touch it," Nezumi teased, laughing more when Shion blushed and stuttered in response.

"I suppose that much hasn't changed."

"What do you mean?" Nezumi asked, and they continued walking. Nezumi felt that the atmosphere of this new NO.6 was so different than it was four years ago before the city fell. Before, it felt unsure, unsafe, threatening and dark. You couldn't say what you thought or go where you wanted without fear of imprisonment or harm. This NO.6, however, felt light with happiness and laughter. Perhaps it was the wine, or perhaps it was the party, but Nezumi felt as though the air itself was shivering with the happiness of the residents. This new NO.6 was radiant even in the nighttime.

"You used to do that before," Shion said. "Touch my hair all the time."

"You noticed that, huh?" Nezumi laughed, and couldn't find it in himself to be embarrassed. He was deliriously happy to be back here, with Shion in the place that Shion had created specifically for_ him_. And that Shion accepted him so easily, kissed him so readily, held him so gently... Nezumi deserved so little and was gifted with so much. "It's charming."

"Mama tried to get me to dye it," Shion said, and looked away sheepishly, a pink blush dusted across his cheeks. "I told her I couldn't because you liked it."

"I'm glad," Nezumi said, clearing his throat to cover up his own embarrassment at the comment. "I see you did nothing to cover up the scar, either."

"I kind of like it," Shion admitted. He smiled up at Nezumi. "Like you said, it's proof of having survived."

"Good," Nezumi eyed the scar that touched Shion's cheek, wound around his neck and disappeared under the collar of his shirt. "You wouldn't be you without it."

They walked in silence for a ways, and the crickets that just couldn't wait for a proper spring night sang to them as they passed from the main road onto a small road, shadowed and bordered by trees. Shion noticed Nezumi's surprised expression at the sight of the plants and laughed. "Not all of the city was destroyed, you know. I was given one of the remaining apartments, as a part of the Reconstruction Committee."

"Of course, his majesty deserves the first and the finest of lodgings-"

"N-No! Everyone offered! A-And it's conveniently located near both the outskirts and center of the city, and-"

"Shion, calm down. I was kidding," Nezumi said, rolling his eyes. He slid his arm around Shion's shoulders again, but this time left it there comfortably. "I'm sure you resisted to the point where they had to drag you into the apartment. You're just stupid like that."

"Stupid?" Shion repeated with a huff, puffing his cheeks out indignantly. Nezumi grinned at the sight of it; it was so familiar. "I am _not_ stupid."

"It's stupid to deny a home when it's offered to you," Nezumi told him. "And you're a little stupid."

"_You're_ a little stupid."

"Your words are so cold," Nezumi sighed, hanging his head dramatically. "And here I thought that you would greet your best friend, after being absent for so many years, with warmth and laughter!"

"I-I'm not being cold! Nezumi, I-"

"Kidding again, Shion," Nezumi laughed, pulling Shion closer to his side and grinning down at him. This- their actions, their teasing, their familiarity felt like home to Nezumi. When Shion chattered on beside him, looking up at him and smiling, Nezumi wondered how it was possible that he could have survived so long without this person by his side.

* * *

"Here it is!" Shion announced, opening the door to his apartment. Shion went in first, stepping out of his shoes and then turning around with a smile. He gestured for Nezumi to do the same, and he obliged, closing the door behind him.

"Don't expect me to say, 'Sorry for the intrusion!' or something like that," Nezumi warned, slipping out of his shoes and leaving them by the door next to Shion's. He saw that Shion had two pairs of shoes; the ones he wore to parties, which he had worn that evening, and ones he wore everyday that Nezumi recognized. Practical and without frivolousness, just as Nezumi taught him to be.

"I wouldn't want you to," Shion replied, sticking his tongue out at Nezumi in response to his teasing. He walked further into the apartment, flipping on lights as he did so. "It doesn't suit you. Being polite, I mean."

"You're so mean to me, Shion."

"Look who's talking!"

Shion's apartment was plain, but it suited him all the same. The furniture was a dark mahogany, the walls were green and a large white area rug covered some of the wood paneling floor. Surfaces were covered with miscellaneous odds and ends; the coffee table was covered with books of every variety, including poetry and scientific texts. The kitchen table was stacked with neat piles of paper work, which rested atop a closed laptop computer and brief case. For some reason, the thought of Shion doing something as dull as paperwork made Nezumi cringe inwardly. It was an incredibly neat apartment, books and work papers aside, and Nezumi would only expect that the pattern would continue in the rooms located down the hall, hidden by a corner and closed doors. Nezumi realized he'd been observing the room intently, and looked up to see Shion appraising his expression nervously, as though worried that Nezumi didn't approve.

"It's... um..." Shion stuttered, shifting his weight from one foot to another, searching for something to say.

"It suits you," Nezumi spoke instead, saving Shion from his embarrassment. "I'm glad you have books."

"There are more on the bookshelf," Shion said brightly, happy that Nezumi had noticed. He glanced around once more, still visibly nervous for Nezumi to see how he's been living for nearly half a decade, before making his way toward the kitchen area, separated from the rest of the room by a counter. There were three or so bar stools seated in front of the counter, looking over the kitchen, and it lead Nezumi to wonder if Shion often had guests, and suddenly had visions of Inukashi, Rikiga, and Shion sitting there together, planning new projects and slightly drunk and laughing together. It made Nezumi feel immensely lonely that all of his friends (friends? Shion, at least) had been living their lives just fine without him around. "Would you like something to eat? There wasn't much served at the party."

"If it's not too much trouble," Nezumi replied. "It's a little late, though, isn't it?"

"After tonight, I don't think I'll be able to sleep for a while," Shion said, shamelessly honest as always. He gestured for Nezumi to take a seat, and Nezumi obliged. He took a seat at one of the barstools that looked over the small kitchen area and followed Shion with his eyes. Shion walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, hesitating and biting his lip in concentration. Watching Shion try to decide what to make, Nezumi perched his chin on his hands and leaned forward, smirking at his white-haired friend.

"Do you even know how to cook?" Nezumi asked teasingly, and Shion turned to look at him indignantly.

"I cooked for us all the time back at home!"

/Home/, Shion said. Nezumi cleared his throat to try to ease the feeling of nostalgia that suddenly overtook him, trying to forget of how easy and perfect everything with Shion had felt before. How he would come home and, no matter how late or early it was, Shion would have food waiting for him. More often then not, Shion would have dozed off, leaning against the wall with a book in his hands, mumbling softly in his sleep. This was different, though; then, Nezumi had been the strong, confident one. The one who provided, protected, and cared for the other. Now, Nezumi was the one who felt insecure, sitting in an unfamiliar place while Shion walked about the kitchen with ease and familiarity. It was surreal to Nezumi. "If I remember correctly, the only thing you ever made was soup."

"Macbeth soup," Shion corrected him, grinning like a child who knew a secret. He tapped his chin in consideration, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "It was a secret recipe."

"I'm not sure I even remember the ingredients," Nezumi said, and he meant it as a joke. When he thought about it, however, it seemed as though he truly _had_ forgotten how to make it. When Shion started living with him, back in their underground library, their _home_, Nezumi hadn't cooked anymore. And while he traveled he'd had no need to cook, always eating out or simply not eating at all.

"Eye of newt, toe of frog, and wool of bat," Shion chanted from memorization, in a slightly dark tone. He put his hands on his hips and looked around the kitchen, then shrugged. "I'm afraid I'm all out of those, though."

"Oh? Such a shame, it sounds wonderful."

"Actually, I'm kind of out of everything," Shion mumbled under his breath, rummaging around the fridge again. "I don't shop until tomorrow..."

"If you don't have anything, then-"

"I have cake that mama left for me," Shion spoke over him, pulling about half of a cherry cake out of the refrigerator. He placed it on the counter and went to close the fridge door, before he perked up as though he suddenly had an idea, and pulled out a carton of milk. He then closed the refrigerator door and began rummaging through a cabinet above the sink. "I know I have some, I haven't used any in ages so there must be some left..." He mumbled to himself.

"What are you looking for?" Nezumi asked curiously, and a few moments later Shion stepped back with a triumphant expression on his face, holding out a box of powdered hot chocolate for examination.

"Hot chocolate!" Shion said cheerfully, and went about preparing their meal. "It'll be just like when we were kids again!"

"That was a very long time ago. It'll be nothing like that," Nezumi said with a sigh. He'd been thinking of the past far to much that day, and wasn't eager to continue. He came here, to the new NO.6, with ideas of the future. Instead he'd spent the entire evening reliving and remembering the past. The present would never be like the past, and he knew that. He knew he had to stop longing for it at some point.

"It was only eight years ago," Shion said, as though that was such an insignificant amount of time.

"That's approximately a tenth of our lives," Nezumi informed him, as though genius-boy Shion couldn't do the math himself. "I'd say that's a lot of time."

"If we keep drinking hot chocolate and keep eating my mama's cherry cake, then I think we'll live forever," Shion told him, setting a mug of hot chocolate in front of his friend and a small plate with a slice of cake on it, accompanied by a fork and napkin. Shion sat on the counter in front of him with his own share, crossing his legs and setting his plate on the counter beside him. He looked down at Nezumi and grinned. "I'm always going to sit like this. I'm taller than you right now."

"I think you've gotten even shorter since the last time I saw you," Nezumi said, taking a bite of the cake and smirking up at Shion, who had an unhappy expression on his face.

"You've just gotten taller," Shion sniffed, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "I don't see how, as I don't expect you've been eating very well."

"And why would you say that?"

"Because I know you," Shion said simply. "I'm sure you'd eaten only when you were about to starve, and sometimes skipped out on meals even then."

"I had a lot to do," Nezumi grumbled, getting an uncomfortable feeling that Shion would've been a great housewife in another lifetime. "Cut me some slack."

"Are we going to talk about it?" Shion asked quietly, glancing at his friend over his mug. "What you were doing? Why you left?"

"Shion..." Nezumi stabbed his cake with his fork, appetite suddenly gone even though a moment ago he felt ravenous. He bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to think of a way to put his feelings into words. Shion misinterpreted his silence, however, and his expression immediately tuned apologetic and he hurried to correct himself.

"It's fine, if you were gone for so long then it must've been something important and serious. You don't have to talk about it, I shouldn't pry," Shion said quickly, slipping off of the countertop and picking up his and Nezumi's plates. He began walking towards the sink to clean their dishes and Nezumi stood up to follow him, feeling extremely guilty when he saw the expression on Shion's face.

"It's just hard to explain," Nezumi said in elaboration, following Shion to the sink. Just as Shion turned the knob and the water began to run, Nezumi took the plates from Shion's hands, earning a puzzled look from the white-haired man. "I'll wash."

"You're a guest," Shion protested.

"I'd hoped to be something a little more permanent than a guest," Nezumi said quietly, grabbing a sponge from the other side of the sink.

"I want that, too," Shion admitted, opening a drawer to his lower left and pulling out a wash cloth. As Nezumi began scrubbing the plate in his hand clean, Shion spoke again softly. "I missed out on four years with you, is all. I just want to know why it had to be like that."

"It's hard to put into words," Nezumi reiterated his earlier statement; and it certainly wasn't a lie, he thought as he scrubbed the plate clean. How could he describe the fear? The uncertainty? He'd read more eloquently phrased stories ever written, and yet he still couldn't define the _terror_ that Shion made him feel that had made him want to run away and never return. How could he also explain the _love_ that also made him want to turn right back around and come running back?

He passed the plate to Shion, who immediately busied himself with drying the plate as Nezumi set to work on the second one. "It's fine, you don't have to force yourself."

"I owe you an explanation, at least," Nezumi murmured. He stopped scrubbing the plate and looked down at his friend, who was staring intently at the plate in his hands. "Shion... there aren't even words for how sorry I am."

"You don't have to feel sorry for anything," Shion said immediately, looking up to meet Nezumi's gaze and offering him a small smile. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, either. I know you well enough to know you didn't mean to hurt anyone at all. You thought it was necessary, didn't you? There's nothing to do about that."

"You trust me far too much," Nezumi replied, his brow furrowing. "You shouldn't believe that everyone's intentions are so pure."

"Yours, at least, always are," Shion insisted, taking the plate from Nezumi's dormant hands and taking initiative to dry it, and then placing both of them in their proper places in the cupboard as Nezumi watched. "I trust you."

"Don't," Nezumi choked out, the guilt finally too much for him to bear. He took Shion's hand and pulled his smaller friend against him, embracing him from behind and burying his face in Shion's snow-colored hair. "Don't trust me. Hate me."

"I could never hate you," Shion whispered, leaning back against Nezumi and closing his eyes, savoring the contact between them. "Never. I don't care what you do."

"Shut up. Don't say such stupid things, you airhead," Nezumi said, and his words came out muffled through Shion's hair. "Don't trust me so much, do you still not understand that? All I care about is myself."

"That's a lie."

Nezumi barked a short, slightly hysteric laugh. "Shion, I left to get _away_ from you. Don't you get it? You... you _confuse_ me, you terrify me. But you also intrigue me, you... I want to be close to you, but I also want to run as far away from you as I possibly can."

"That's okay," Shion replied gently, placing his hands over Nezumi's and smiling, though he knew Nezumi could not see it. "That's all okay."

"No, it's not. You changed everything I ever believed in, everything I ever knew. I had been so sure that everything that had to do with NO.6 could be nothing less than the purest evil. Before you made it into something beautiful, NO.6 literally manufactured death and pain. The citizens couldn't live freely, and innocent people were slaughtered on a regular basis by those _criminals_. I wanted to destroy it. I hated everything that had to do with it. But then... then you opened your window and you screamed into the storm. You took care of me, you fed me, you kept me warm and you saved my life. How could I help but be interested in you? So I watched you, and I convinced myself that you deserved the punishment you received. You were from NO.6, after all, so you were evil."

"Nezumi." Shion wanted Nezumi to stop talking with that forced, pained voice, but Nezumi just kept on going as though Shion had never spoke.

"But, Shion, you never did a single selfish or evil thing. You didn't show the slightest bit of anger at being extracted from the Gifted course, nor were you upset when you got taken out of your home in Chronos. Why? Why was that? How could someone so wonderful come from a place so terrible?

And it got worse when I actually got to know you. You're so... so _airheaded_, so innocent, so genuine... You wanted to save NO.6, and I wanted to destroy it. How could we ever be anything other than enemies? Strangers?"

"We were never strangers."

"We were. You didn't know me."

"I know you now."

"Perhaps," Nezumi muttered with a sigh. "Shion, you're a savior. A conductor, no, a _beacon_ of light. You've accomplished things that should be completely impossible. You tore down the wall, Shion. I believe... No, I knew you couldn't. It was impossible, it couldn't be done. And yet you went ahead and did it anyway. That terrible, awful place was gone. And you wanted me to stay there with you, in that graveyard of memories of... of terrible, unspeakable things."

"So we could be together," Shion said, and Nezumi nodded. "But you left anyway."

"You made me not _me_ anymore. You allowed me to hope, Shion. That's an extremely dangerous thing. If I allowed us to become closer than strangers, then I'd be giving up everything I ever believed in. I left because I was scared, Shion. I was terrified of you, of letting go of who I'd been my entirely life. You destroyed the foundation of everything I'd believed to be truth. I couldn't... I couldn't understand it. I found myself unable to love you, though I couldn't deny that I did, but also unable to hate you, though I feared you so much. You could completely take advantage of me without meaning to, without trying, and you still believed me to be so strong... I..."

Nezumi was talking, babbling in circles, repeating himself and once in a while adding something he'd forgotten to say, and then that, too, was repeated and mumbled into Shion's hair, hot on the back of his neck. Shion stood there and he listed, his fingers running across Nezumi's arms, so tight around his torso, and listened. He wanted to hear, to understand why, and tried to paint the picture of it in his mind. And, finally, he thought he understood it at last. How could Nezumi love someone who came from a city of hell, who seemed to somehow be able to completely overtake him? How could Nezumi fear and hate someone he loved so much? How could he accept NO.6 as his home, when it once hunted him down and sought to kill him? Shion finally,_ finally_ understood these things.

"That's okay, Nezumi, that's okay," Shion spoke loudly, interrupting Nezumi's mutters, turning around in Nezumi's arms to face him fully. Shion put his hands on either side of Nezumi's face and forced the taller man to look at him, a serious expression on his face. "I can't hate you for something like that. How could I?"

"How couldn't you?" Nezumi whispered, shaking his head with his eyes squeezed shut. "I had no right... I ran away like a child. In the end, that's all I am. A hateful, cowardly child."

"You're none of those things. A liar, sometimes, perhaps, but you don't even realize it yourself," Shion said, in an attempted-lighthearted tone. He bit his lip and looked down, studying the kitchen tile beneath them. "I don't blame you for leaving. I really, truly don't. I hate that you were gone, but that's just because I missed you. Nezumi, you could leave again tomorrow and I wouldn't hate you for it. You could be gone for a thousand years and I would still care for you more than any other person in the world. As long as you promise that someday, sometime you'll come home to me."

"I don't deserve that," Nezumi shook his head again. "I don't, I never did."

"I don't have to explain my feelings to you again, do I?" Shion said more loudly, a little frustrated. How could Nezumi not understand? "I'm not the airheaded one right now. You still don't seem to understand."

Nezumi met his eyes again, curiosity behind the guilt, uncomprehending. Shion shook his head in wonder. Nezumi _really_ didn't understand.

Shion stood on his toes to kiss Nezumi gently.

And their kiss only lasted a moment, just long enough for Shion to cup Nezumi's neck softly, afraid to move too roughly. When Shion opened his eyes again, he saw Nezumi's expression was shocked, his eyes almost comically wide. Shion bit back a grin before he spoke again. "That was an 'I forgive you and I want you to stay with me always' kiss."

"Too long of a name," Nezumi replied with a half-smile, his eyes still haunted by slightly less so. "Can't it just be a kiss?"

"Can it? I don't know, I'm not very experienced," Shion admitted. "There are lots of different kinds of kisses, so I think it's important to name them."

"Lots of different kinds?" Nezumi repeated, his smile growing wider and more normal. "And how would you know that?"

"W-Well, I mean. I watch TV and stuff," Shion defended, blushing slightly. "Speaking of which. When you kissed me, earlier. What kind of kiss was that?"

Nezumi titled his head as he considered the question, and Shion shifted under the scrutiny of his gaze. Finally, Nezumi placed a hand on Shion's cheek and leaned in, bumping their noses together before kissing Shion softly.

"I'm not sure," Nezumi murmured, resting his forehead atop Shion's. Shion glanced up at him shyly, a small smile on his face. "I might be an 'I want to stay with you, too' kiss, but that's too long of a name."


	4. Chapter 4

"Don't be ridiculous, Shion. We shared a bed the entire time we lived together."

"There were a few times we didn't," Shion protested, trying to hold back a yawn and failing, rubbing his watery eyes. "You need the bed so you can rest, I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"Shion, don't make me carry you there," Nezumi said flatly, and his tone left no room for discussion. With a resigned sigh, Shion lead the way to his bedroom, turning off the lights in the room as he did so. When they passed the laundry room, Shion looked at Nezumi curiously.

"Don't you have clothes?" Shion asked, and Nezumi blinked in apparent surprise at the question.

"Oh, yes. But I left them in our old room," Nezumi said. "I didn't want to bring my things to the party with me."

"We can go back and get them tomorrow- or, well, later today," Shion corrected himself. "We can go shopping for new clothes, too."

"You sound like a girlfriend, Shion," Nezumi teased, and Shion scowled at him before opening the door to his bedroom.

"I'm not a girlfriend. I am clearly not a girl," Shion said stiffly. Something about the way Shion answered that question made Nezumi feel very embarrassed and pleased at the same time, and Nezumi swooped down to kiss Shion on the forehead before walking over to Shion's bed. Shion made a small noise of surprise at the gesture and followed Nezumi with his eyes, shifting nervously. "A-Ah, don't you want to borrow clothes to sleep in?"

"Oh, sure," Nezumi replied with a yawn, stretching by the side of Shion's bed. Shion rolled his eyes at the laziness of the action before walking to his closet, opening it and pulling out two pairs of sweatpants. He launched a pair at Nezumi, feeling a small amount of triumph when they hit Nezumi square in the face. Shion began unbuckling his belt to change, and felt Nezumi's gaze on him. He looked over in surprise to see Nezumi still standing there, the sweatpants in his hands, looking at Shion intensely. "Shion."

"What is it?" Shion asked curiously, pulling his belt off in one graceful movement and hanging it up in his closet.

"Have you had sex yet?" Nezumi asked in a completely calm voice. Shion swung around, his face hot with embarrassment, to see Nezumi's smirking face. "Well?"

"W-Why would you ask that now?" Shion yelped, and Nezumi laughed loudly. "O-Of course I haven't!"

"Just asking, just asking," Nezumi said innocently, and began to change. Grumbling to himself, Shion followed suit. Nezumi caught occasional words like "troublesome" and "rat" but chose to believe he was talking about someone else.

* * *

"Favorite place?"

"NO.5, definitely."

"Why's that?"

"Too many museums to name." Nezumi remembered it with a smile, and Shion thought that he would like to see it someday. "I want to show you sometime."

"Take me someday," Shion agreed.

Staring up at the ceiling, Nezumi smiled and thought it would really be a pretty nice vacation, showing Shion around the different cities and the pieces of the world before that got left behind. NO.6 had been rebuilt and improved so much in only four years, and Nezumi knew Shion was behind it all. Of course Shion was probably exhausted. Nezumi decided that, in the morning, he'd have a serious discussion with Shion about that vacation. For now, though, he wanted to hear about what Shion had to say. He just wanted to be with Shion. No talk of the past, no worrying about the future. It'd been so long since the two of them had simply lay by each other and talked like this, and Nezumi hadn't realized just how much he had missed it. "Is there anywhere you particularly want to go?"

"Not really," Shion admitted, turning his head to smile at Nezumi from the other side of the bed. "I'm fine here."

"That doesn't seem to suit you," Nezumi said, reaching over to tap Shion lightly on the tip of his nose. "Since you're so curious. And airheaded."

"You didn't need to add that last part," Shion grumbled, grabbing Nezumi's hand before he could pull it back and holding it in both of his. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you enjoy insulting me."

"It's definitely not an insult," Nezumi protested. "I never said I disliked it."

"Hmm," Shion hummed, considering Nezumi's words. He slipped his fingers through Nezumi's and lay flat on his back again, their hands between them. "Then I'll forgive you for now."

"Gracious of you," Nezumi said with a short laugh, turning his head to glance at Shion before resuming his examination of the ceiling. The two of them lay next to each other in silence for a moment, the only sound the crickets outside and the light breeze pushing branches against the window.

"Do you dislike NO.6?" Shion asked suddenly, turning to look at Nezumi again. "The one I've created?"

"I don't... that's a difficult question," Nezumi mumbled stiffly, afraid of upsetting Shion but also not wanting to be dishonest. "It's hard to get over such a hatred, Shion. But you've done so many good things here."

"Would you rather go somewhere else?" Shion turned to his side and perched himself up on one arm, leaning against his hand as he looked down at Nezumi.

"What do you mean?" Nezumi asked, puzzled.

"You like NO.5 a lot, because it's got museums and books." Shion spoke as though the words were difficult to pronounce, like they didn't make the point he was trying to get across. "So would you rather be there? Would that be an easier place to call home?"

"Home?"

"I don't want to... make you stay here, just because you made a promise to me," Shion whispered, looking away from Nezumi. "If you don't like it here, then it's selfish of me to make you stay, isn't it? Just because of a promise."

"Why are you saying this now?" Nezumi sat up. "Shion, you already know I'm not here just because I didn't want to break a promise. You understand that I want to be with you."

"Yes, I understand that now," Shion nodded, and pursed his lips as he tried to turn his thoughts into words. "But if you truly hate it here, then I don't want to make you stay. So, if you really wanted, we could go someplace else. Together, I mean. I'd go with you if you'd let me."

"You don't have to be so selfless all the time, Shion," Nezumi said with a sigh, reaching down to run his fingers through Shion's hair affectionately. "I want to stay wherever you want to stay. Don't I owe you at least that much?"

"Of course you don't."

"Of course you'd say that," Nezumi shook his head, giving Shion an amused half-smile. "I doubt your mama would let me take you away, anyway."

"She'd let me!"

"You wouldn't leave her, you're such a mama's boy," Nezumi teased. "You don't want to leave NO.6, Shion. So I don't want to make you."

"I'd be willing to," Shion insisted, laying back down on his back. He held a hand out to Nezumi, smiling when he took it and twined their fingers together again. "I like you better here, Nezumi."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nezumi lay down as well, closer to Shion than before. They were close enough that their sides were touching, just like the way they used to sleep together back in the West Block.

"I like it better when you admit that we're friends, rather than insisting that we're strangers," Shion clarified, squeezing Nezumi's hand that was still holding his. "It means that I can be with you like this."

Nezumi rolled his eyes, but felt as though he had to agree with Shion. Before, when he was trying to deny his feelings of friendship and affection for Shion, he often found himself wanting to be closer to the younger man. There were times when he couldn't control himself, and absentmindedly ran his fingers through Shion's hair, and pulled his confused friend into a sudden, tight embrace. To Nezumi at that time, there was no stronger desire to him than the desire to stay alive, and Shion threatened that. Here, though, they were perfectly safe. And Nezumi could hug Shion, hold his hand, lay close beside him, even kiss him gently. Feelings that he couldn't put into words could now be put into action. Yes, he had to admit that it was much better now.

"You also haven't hit me yet," Shion added cheerfully, and Nezumi frowned.

"I never hit you _that_ hard," Nezumi defended, and Shion laughed at his genuinely worried expression.

"The bruises never lasted," Shion said in mock agreement, laughing again at Nezumi's widened eyes. He turned on his side once more to better face his friend and leaned over to press a kiss to Nezumi's cheek. "I'm kidding."

"I wasn't upset," Nezumi said in denial. He glanced at Shion, still laying on his side, so close to Nezumi that he could feel Shion's warm breath puff against his neck. "What kind of kiss was that, then?"

"Hmmm," Shion thought about it for a moment. "An 'I forgive you for hitting me sometimes because I'm sure at the time it was entirely necessary' kiss."

"You're really terrible at making names for things."

"I thought that was a good name," Shion sniffed, pretending to be offended. "There'll come a time when I wont be able to think of a new name for a kiss."

"I certainly hope so," Nezumi said bluntly, and he grinned in triumph when his words made Shion blush deeply, the younger man thinking about the implications behind those words. Nezumi rolled over and leaned in, kissing the tip of Shion's nose. "There was no purpose for that one."

"I think that was a 'trying to prove a point' kiss, actually," Shion corrected.

"Damn it, Shion. I'm trying to teach you something."

Shion laughed but didn't apologize, and leaned forward to lean his forehead against Nezumi's chest. "It's been four years, you know."

"Yeah," Nezumi sighed, and threw an arm across Shion's waist. "That's a long time."

"That's how long it was the first time, you know," Shion told him. "You first appeared on my twelfth birthday, and came back when I was sixteen. And you left when I was sixteen, and now you're back when I'm twenty."

"Never say you're twenty again," Nezumi grumbled. "You make it sound like you're an adult."

"I am an adult!" Shion pouted, though he knew the gesture would go unseen. "You can't always think of me as a child."

"I mostly certainly can. I have up until this point, and will continue to do so well into the future."

"Neeezuumiii," Shion whined, and he felt Nezumi's chest rumble with his quiet laughter. "Well, whatever. You're only a little bit older than me. So if I'm a child, you're a child, too."

Nezumi just laughed again, and Shion thought it better to cease pursuit of the issue and fell silent. He closed his eyes and smiled as Nezumi ran his fingers up and down Shion's back. Since he'd returned, it seemed as though Nezumi couldn't keep his hands off Shion; Shion's hair, his hands, his waist, his back. Shion adored the contact, having missed it and imagined it for four years.

The window was open just slightly, and the moonlight spilled in and left wisps of white on the floor that crept up and splayed across the bed, illuminating Shion's hair. Nezumi tucked Shion's head under his chin, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He hadn't felt this peaceful in a very, very long time, and wasn't eager to break the silence with more uncomfortable words. Nezumi began humming softly, a song that neither of them recognized but one that Nezumi must've heard a portion of sometime in the past. Shion tilted his head up and snuggled closer to Nezumi and listened, and when he blinked Nezumi could feel his eyelashes brush against the more sensitive skin under his chin. Nezumi continued rubbing Shion's back, up to his neck and then back down to the small of his back, repeating the motion. Shion made a small, content noise in the back of his throat and Nezumi chuckled softly.

"It'll be a lot nicer here in the springtime," Shion broke the silence gently, and Nezumi felt his breath tickle his neck. "I think you'll like it."

"When last we met, you feared the spring," Nezumi reminded him, remembering Shion's determination to save NO.6 before the parasitic bees could overtake the city in the spring.

"A lot of things have changed since then," Shion said, trying not to remember how it felt to have one of those _things_ inside him, and fearing that the same fate would befall the innocent citizens of NO.6 unless he did something quickly. "And the trees are prettier these days."

"I hope not too much has changed," Nezumi murmured, pressing a kiss to Shion's hair as means of emphasizing his words. Shion looked up at him and grinned.

"Some of the important things haven't changed," Shion agreed. His expression melted into something different, and he looked at Nezumi more seriously. Nezumi tilted his head, puzzled at Shion's suddenly thoughtful expression. "Nezumi..."

"What's wrong?"

"... No, never mind." Shion seemed to abruptly change his mind and snuggled against Nezumi again. "It's really late, you know? We should get some sleep."

"Whatever you say, your majesty," Nezumi decided to let the issue go, but still felt slightly worried as Shion closed his eyes and yawned quietly. They lay together in silence for a moment, and when Shion shifted slightly, holding onto the front Nezumi's shirt gently, Nezumi stroked Shion's hair very softly. "... Goodnight, Shion."

"See you..." Shion yawned again and smiled sleepily. "... in the morning."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I know it's relatively short, but I wanted to make this chapter very casual and open between the two of them. That's also why this chapter is mostly dialogue. Haha sorry if it's disappointing, but it's important to establish how comfortable they are with each other, as opposed to how lonely they feel when separated. Thank you for reading, as always, and reviews are more than welcome!


	5. Chapter 5

They had left the window open all night, so it was a little cold in Shion's bedroom when Nezumi awoke several hours later. The color of the light that spilled into the bedroom, however, revealed to Nezumi that it was still a morning hour, because the light had more of a golden color that seemed to light up the room like it was illuminated by candlelight. Nezumi lay still for a moment, frozen with fear when he did not immediately recognize where he was. Had he gotten drunk, and wandered off somewhere? But he was in a bed, in a clean, sweet-smelling room... was he in a hospital? Had he been injured? And then he felt a warm weight shift on his chest, and he remembered.

Nezumi must've shifted onto his back sometime during the night and pulled Shion along with him, because Shion's head was resting on Nezumi's chest, his arms loose around Nezumi's neck. Nezumi's arms were still tight around Shion's waist, and he found himself sliding a hand up to Shion's hair and playing with it gently so as not to wake him, wondering when it was that he drifted off to sleep. He must've fallen asleep relatively quickly, because he couldn't remember much after Shion's almost insecure words of goodnight. Nezumi breathed in deeply, the crisp morning air sharp in his lungs until he exhaled slowly, listening to the quite sounds of the morning outside the window. It was extremely unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable, waking up in an actual room in a safe apartment. But it also felt very _right_ at the same time, because he was laying with Shion.

There was a small, quiet squeak to his left, and he turned to see the three mice sitting on Shion's abandoned pillow, looking up at him expectantly.

"You're all still here, are you?" He asked quietly, and got three squeaks in response. Grinning, he gently pulling a hand free to tap each little mouse on the head. "Where were you last night, huh? Giving us some privacy?"

The squeaks he received as a response seemed to be a yes, and he laughed quietly. His short conversation with the mice must've stirred Shion, though he tried very hard to be quiet, and Shion blinked slowly into awareness.

"Good morning, your highness," Nezumi said, and Shion's head shot up in surprise. He slowly sat up, a little confused to see Nezumi laying there with him. "What's wrong?"

"..." Shion reached forward and put a hand on Nezumi's cheek, and ran his other hand through Nezumi's hair as the blue-haired man sat up straighter. "Ah, you're not a dream."

"You're so ridiculous," Nezumi said teasingly, though he felt a pang of guilt at Shion's relieved expression. Shion hummed happily and lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Nezumi's neck and closing his eyes again, snuggling against Nezumi. Instinctively, Nezumi's arms snaked around Shion's waist. "You're not going back to sleep, are you?"

"I'm tired," Shion mumbled, opening an eye and grinning up at Nezumi. "Let's sleep more."

"No, we're going to get up and eat breakfast like normal people," Nezumi told him, and Shion whined in response.

"You really like my hair, don't you?" Shion murmured, and Nezumi realized that he had been running his finger's through the snowy white locks subconsciously. Nezumi opened his mouth to protest, fighting back a blush, and Shion's laugh cut him off. "I don't mind. I like it."

"Get up, you child," Nezumi grumbled in embarrassment, gently prying Shion's arms from around his neck and slipping out of the bed, shivering at the sudden loss of warmth. Shion sat up in the bed and pouted, looking at the mice.

"He's so cruel, isn't he?" Shion lamented gloomily to the mice, and laughed when he received a squeak of agreement from Hamlet. "See? They agree. But all right, then. I'll make breakfast."

Nezumi followed Shion with his eyes as the younger man slipped out of the bed as well, running his hands through his hair. Shion's eyes met Nezumi's and a curious expression passed over his face. "What?"

"I really like it when your hair's down," Shion told him with a shy smile, biting his lip. Nezumi blinked and reach up to touch his own hair, and realized that his hair was falling loose down to his shoulders. "It must've come down during the night.

Anyway, I'll make breakfast," Shion repeated, smiling fondly as Nezumi hurried to tie his hair up again. "You can take a shower first, if you want."

"Actually, let me," Nezumi said suddenly, walking over to Shion as he spoke. Shion tilted his head curiously and shook his head. He opened his mouth to protest, but Nezumi spoke first. "If I'll be staying with you, then I should at least cook sometimes."

"Right," Shion said, a wide smile spreading across his face. He laughed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't have much around to cook with, though. I usually wait till Sundays to go shopping."

"I'm sure we can make do," Nezumi said reassuringly. Assuring Shion that he'd be able to cook just fine, and it was the least he owed him, after all, he pushed Shion in the direction of the bathroom door and crossed across the bedroom and waited to hear the water start running before smiling, closing the door behind him.

He wondered when he'd get used to Shion's... his and Shion's apartment. The warm morning light turned lighter in color with each passing minute, and to Nezumi it made the room feel a little colder. He wondered about the temperature of this place once the summer came, and walked into the small kitchen area. He quickly realized that Shion wasn't lying about not having much to work with; the refrigerator was nearly empty, as were several of the cabinets. There was half a carton of eggs in there, though, and that would certainly be enough to work with. Smiling to himself, Nezumi pulled out the box of powdered hot chocolate. Shion would love that.

Cooking was very quick work, though, and it wasn't as though he was preparing a particularly difficult meal. Sooner than Nezumi would have liked, there were two plates of scrambled eggs and, because he found a loaf of bread in the pantry that was almost finished, toast. He set down two mugs of hot chocolate next to the plates and straightened up, entirely unsure of what to do with himself.

Wandering into the main room, Nezumi walked over to the table, which Nezumi assumed was meant for eating but had been turned into something like a desk for Shion. Nezumi sunk down into the chair seated in front of the closed laptop and picked up the paper on the top of the stack to his left, examining it with dull, sleepy interest. It was a building permit for a library it seemed that Shion was planning on building. Stapled to it was architecture designs from various angles, and stapled to /those/ were various letters from officials in other cities, apparently in response to letters sent by Shion himself a few weeks earlier. It appeared as though Shion had been asking each city to donate any surplus of ancient texts that they could bear to part with, and each response letter seemed to be very enthusiastic.

"Shion's even popular in cities he's never been to," Nezumi mused to himself, looking over the other papers in the pile. There were more building plans, and letters of appreciation from citizens as well as drafts of letters to be sent to other cities. It seemed as though Shion had really taken initiative in the whole 'Reconstruction Committee' thing. Really, it would've been best to just name Shion the official mayor of NO.6 and make a neat job of it. "I'm impressed, your majesty... Oh?"

Nezumi stumbled across a less official looking letter, just a piece of paper ripped out of a spiral notebook. It wasn't typed like the others, and Nezumi recognized Shion's handwriting immediately.

'_Dear Nezumi_-'

Nezumi blinked in surprise and reread the title, certain that he must've read it wrong. But, no, it was addressed to him. Shion wrote him a letter? Nezumi knew he shouldn't read it, definitely not. But...

_It's December already, can you believe that? Mama's bakery is really busy, and Inukashi's hotel is busier than ever. She actually got pretty_ _upset_ _when some of the guests from NO.6 complained about the dogs, and spent half an hour yelling about how the dogs were the entire appeal of the hotel. I told her the people of NO.6 wouldn't exactly understand, but of course she didn't listen to me. I don't mind it, it's her personality. I think the hotel's probably what I'm going to try to renovate next, if she lets me. I had wanted to get it done before winter came, but she's very adamant about the hotel staying the same. I suppose I understand it, but she'll be a lot happier when she has heat in there. _

_I've gotten a lot done, Nezumi, you wouldn't believe it! The orphanage was the easiest thing, because we built it in place of the Twilight House and there wasn't much to rebuild. I thought that it'd be best to keep all the children where all the flowers are, and the others in the Committee agreed. One girl, Lili, didn't want to go to the orphanage, however, and she's living with Mama. She's the sweetest little girl, Nezumi, I think you'd like her. She likes Much Ado About Nothing a whole lot, and has me read it to her all the time. She also likes The Happy Prince, but not as much. There's also Shionn, of course, but it goes without saying where she's staying_.

"Who's Shionn?" Nezumi asked himself in a mumble, and suddenly snapped back to his senses. He shouldn't have been invading Shion's privacy like that... but, then again, Shion had written this letter to Nezumi, hadn't he? So surely it was meant for Nezumi to read? Nezumi shook his head and resolved to stuff the letter back into the middle of the stack of papers, never to be seen again. However, he caught a glimpse of the closing of the letter:

_I promised you'd come back, Nezumi, so I promise I'll wait for you. Just don't take too long, okay? I'd like to spend Christmas with you._

_As always,_  
_Shion_

"Christmas."

Nezumi groaned and leaned back in his chair, covering his face with his hands. The letter was dated back to the year that NO.6 fell, the year that he had left Shion alone. Shion had wanted to spent that Christmas together. A Christmas four years ago. Four Christmases, four birthdays, and every significant day in between. Shion wanted to spend every one of those days with Nezumi, and Nezumi had missed them all. And Shion still waited for him, forgave him, missed him...

"_Knock, knock, knock._"

Nezumi stood up so quickly that the chair clattered to the floor, and his head snapped in the direction of the door. Wasn't it a little early for visitors?

Trying not to wonder whether or not it was acceptable for him to answer the door for Shion, Nezumi crossed the room to open the front door, still trying to shake the feeling of guilt that he got from the letter. He yawned as he opened the door, shooting an accusatory glare at whoever was on the other side. "Yeah?"

"So perky first thing in the morning," Inukashi chastised, glaring up at Nezumi. "I see you're still here."

"You're just the person I want to see first thing in the morning," Nezumi snapped back sarcastically. "Of course I am. I'm here to stay. What do you even want so early, mutt?"

"It's Shion's turn," Inukashi replied, looking pointedly down at her side. Nezumi's eyes widened when he noticed, for the first time, that a small, young girl was standing next to Inukashi and gripping her hand tightly. She was actually rather cute, with curly brown hair and large, reddish eyes. Nezumi frowned at that; Shion was the only person he had ever met with red eyes. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Taking a shower," Nezumi replied, and looked down at the child again. "And who are you?"

"I'm Shionn," she said in a shy voice, tilting her head as she looked up at Nezumi. "Why are you at papa's house?"

_Papa_. "I'll be staying here from now on," Nezumi replied, taking a step back and gesturing for the two of them to come in. "I'm a friend of Shi- ... your papa's."

"Oh!" Shionn smiled brightly at Nezumi in a way that was eerily similar to the white-haired Shion as she bounded into the house, Inukashi in tow. "You stayed here? Like a sleepover?"

"I don't think there was a lot of sleeping going on," Inukashi snickered, smirking up at Nezumi defiantly when he gave her a dark glare. "Kidding, you sensitive rat."

"Inukashi? Shionn?"

Shion walked into the room, rubbing his dripping hair with a white towel. He looked at their guests in surprise, and looked at Nezumi for some kind of explanation. Nezumi, however, was a little distracted by a shirtless, dripping wet Shion. His eyes followed the red, snakelike scar around Shion's naked torso, around his neck and eventually up to Shion's puzzled gaze. Nezumi cleared his throat. "Inukashi said it was your turn?"

"Oh! That's right," Shion said as it dawned on him, smiling down at Shionn as she ran toward him, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "Hey, sweetheart. I thought you were staying with _my_ mama this weekend."

"Went home with mama, and I wanted to see you," Shionn said in her small, dolly voice. Shion laughed and mussed up her hair affectionately, warm fondness in his eyes. "Is that okay?"

"Of course it is! But..." Shion's eyes met Nezumi's again. "We'll be having someone else stay here as well, okay?"

"I know!" Shionn said, nodding seriously. "The boy who you had a sleep over with there wasn't a lot of sleeping going on."

"W-What?!" Shion yelped in surprise, immediately flushing a dark crimson. Inukashi howled with laughter and Nezumi just looked embarrassed, avoiding Shion's gaze. "Inukashi, what've you been teaching her?"

"She must've overheard an adult conversation I was having with a certain rat," Inukashi said innocently, backing up towards the door. "I have to get back to work. Don't let your boyfriend corrupt her or anything, got it?"

"Bye-bye mama!" Shionn ran right back towards Inukashi and reached up towards her, giggling when Inukashi swept her up and kissed her cheek.

"Behave yourself, all right? And don't be afraid to hit that one if he gets on your nerves," Inukashi told her in a stage whisper, making the small girl giggle again and nodded. Inukashi set her back down on the ground, waved at Shion, glared at Nezumi, and then took her leave.

"Nezumi, you made breakfast," Shion said brightly, walking over to Shionn and taking her hand, smiling at Nezumi. "Thank you."

"I told you I would," Nezumi replied, trying not to stare at Shionn. He had so many _questions_ that it was killing him. Who the hell /was/ that kid. He cleared his throat and jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen. "Hungry?"

"Starving," Shion answered, looking down at Shionn and grinning. "How about you, princess?"

"Me and mama ate," Shionn replied, shaking her head quickly. "I'm gonna go to my room, papa, okay? I wanna change."

"All right," Shion said, but she was already skipping towards the hallway. She turned the corner and disappeared from sight, and Nezumi heard a door open and then slam shut. Shion turned his attention back to Nezumi and smiled widely, starting to walk towards the counter. "She's adorable, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Nezumi responded, taking a seat down at the counter while Shion hopped on top of it again, laughing when he noticed the hot chocolate. He raised the mug to his lips gleefully. "She really takes after you."

"Mama says the same thing," Shion told him. "I can't really see it, though."

"How old is she?"

"Well, of course we don't know for sure," Shion began, and Nezumi raised an eyebrow but remained silent. Why didn't Shion know for sure? He was her father, wasn't he? "But she'll probably be five sometime soon."

"Why don't you know for sure?" Nezumi asked, and Shion gave him a puzzled look.

"What do you mean? She looked to be a few months old when we found her, but of course we don't know the exact date of her birth."

"Wait... found her?"

"Yeah. What do you...?" Shion's eyes widened in sudden understanding and burst out laughed, nearly falling off the counter as he giggled, wrapping his arms around himself. Nezumi looked at him like he was crazy. "You... I... You thought... Shionn is..."

Shion burst into new peels of laughter, and Nezumi rolled his eyes and waited for him to finish, taking a bite of toast.

"Nezumi, Shionn isn't my legitimate daughter," Shion finally said, wiping a tear from his eye and grinning down at his friend. "She's the baby that we saved from the West Block on the say of the Man Hunt."

"... _Oh_." Nezumi thought he might just die of relief and sighed deeply, nodding slowly in understanding.

"How could she be?" Shion continued. "I told you I... well, that I haven't had sex."

"You couldn't not known that was what you were doing when you were doing it," Nezumi said dully, too overcome with relief to tease Shion's embarrassed expression. He took a long drink of his hot chocolate, draining the mug. "That makes me feel so much better. I thought you'd done it with the mutt."

"Can you not say it like that?" Shion made a disgusted expression, shaking his head quickly. "I'd never have sex with Inukashi. I'd never even kiss her."

"That's good to hear," Nezumi said. "You know, most guys wouldn't say something like that about kissing a girl."

"I've never kissed a girl, though," Shion replied, and Nezumi realized that this was true. "I mean, Safu kissed my cheek that one time, and my mama does that, too, but that doesn't count, right?"

"Right," Nezumi agreed. He got up to take his empty plate to the sink, picking up Shion's as he walked past towards the sink. "Those aren't the right kind of kisses."

"Right kind?" Shion questioned, picking up their mugs and following him to the sink, placing the mugs in it and looking up at Nezumi with a puzzled expression.

"Shall I show you the right kind?" Nezumi suggested, taking Shion's chin between his forefinger and thumb, leaning down until their lips were just a whisper apart, smirking when Shion blushed and stiffened in response. "There are _very_ different kinds of kisses, your majesty."

Nezumi put his hands on Shion's hips, and just as Shion slid his hands up around Nezumi's neck and stood on his toes-

"Papa?"

"Dammit," Nezumi groaned quietly, leaning his head down to rest it on Shion's shoulder, irritated that they were interrupted. Shion laughed and patted the top of Nezumi's head sympathetically.

"What were you doing?" Shionn asked curiously, and Shion immediately took a step back from Nezumi, feigning innocence.

"Nothing at all," Shion lied quickly. "A-Anyway, Shionn. Would you like to go shopping?"

"Oh, yes!"

"Go take a shower so we can go," Shion said to Nezumi, throwing his damp towel in the taller man's face. "You can borrow some more of my clothes."

"You're too short, they wont fit," Nezumi protested, grinning when Shion pouted and immediately insisted that he really wasn't that short and maybe Nezumi was just unnaturally tall for someone their age. "Whatever."

As Nezumi slipped out of the room, he heard Shionn ask, "Were you two gonna kiss like they do on TV?" He laughed quietly to himself as Shion stuttered and tried to respond.

* * *

"Where are you from?" Shionn asked Nezumi about half an hour later, walking between him and Shion as they started down the sidewalk. Passerby waved at Shion as they walked past, and Nezumi noticed that quite a few of them looking considerably hung over. Always the downside to a good party.

"I'm from the West Block," Nezumi replied, and the young girl nodded seriously.

"A lot of people are," Shionn said. "How old are you?"

"I'm your papa's age," he responded, and older Shion nodded.

"How do you know my papa?"

"I..." That was a difficult question. "Shion helped me out when we were kids, and I returned the favor when we were teenagers."

"You make it sound so impersonal," Shion complained, and reached down to take Shionn's hand. "We're best friends."

"I thought you and mama were best friends," Shionn said accusingly, and Nezumi gave Shion a smirk that clearly said _try to get out of that one_. Shion considered the question for a moment.

"Someone can have more than one best friend," Shion eventually said. "Nezumi's my best _best_ friend."

"I don't think there's such a thing," Nezumi, and Shion just suck his tongue out at him in response. Little Shionn held up her free hand to Nezumi expectantly, and it took Nezumi a moment to realize that she wanted him to take her hand. Hesitantly, Nezumi reached down and took her hand. As Shionn swung their hands back and forth, Nezumi saw Shion beaming at him. "What's with that face?"

"You're the best," is all Shion said, and as much as Nezumi wanted to disagree, he allowed himself to feel immensely proud at Shion's words and gave him a rare, gentle smile in response.

"If you say so, your majesty."

"M-Ma...jesty?" Shionn attempted to sound out the word, looking up at Nezumi. "What does that word mean?"

"It means your papa is a prince," Nezumi replied, ignoring Shion's sound of protest.

"Like in the Happy Prince?" Shionn asked him, and Nezumi's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Papa reads that to me."

"Yes. _Exactly_ like the Happy Prince," Nezumi told her, and decided that he liked this child very much. He even found himself smiling when she laughed cheerfully in response to his words.

Shopping with that small, bizarre family was a lot more work than Nezumi expected. As was anticipated from a child, Shionn ran all over the place in the shopping center, pulling sweets from every counter and raising them up to Nezumi and Shion for examination, pouting and stomping her foot in frustration when Nezumi told her that no, she had already picked out _five_ other sweets and, honestly, just was just as bad as the other Shion. She would then refuse to speak to him for a whole minute, before tugging on his borrowed sleeve (which was just a little bit too small) and asking him another question about himself. She was simply a fountain of energy, wanting to weigh the produce herself and trying to push the cart until she finally gave up and allowed Nezumi to do it.

Nezumi realized he shouldn't have expected Shion to act like an adult on their shopping excursion; really, he should've known better. Shion was almost as bad as the little Shionn, forgetting things that they were supposed to get and what they had already gotten and stopping to have deep, in-depth discussions about the origins of the vegetables they were buying.

"Papa, let's get this~!" Shionn held up a small box of cookies, and this time it was Shion who denied her.

"What would grandma say if you bought cookies somewhere else?" He asked her, and she immediately nodded quickly in understanding. "We can go see her and get cookies before we go home if you'd like."

"Okay!" She said cheerfully, and bounded away to put the cookies back where they came from. Shion glanced at Nezumi nervously.

"Would that be okay with you?" Shion asked him, and Nezumi raised an eyebrow at his unsure tone of voice.

"Of course," Nezumi replied. "I've wanted to meet your mama."

"I'm not sure if she knows you're here," Shion said, tilting his head. "I wonder if she'll be surprised."

* * *

"Welco- Oh, Shion! And Shionn!" Karan greeted, surprised but pleased to see the three of them walk into the small bakery. "Oh, and..."

"Grandma!" Little Shionn waved enthusiastically, her other hand tightly gripping Nezumi's. She let go of his hand and bounded over to the counter, where a large variety of sweets were waiting for her examinations. "Papa, I can get some, right?"

"Just one," Shion told her, smiling patiently when she pouted at him. Shion turned his attention back to his mother and cleared his throat, taking Shionn's place beside Nezumi. "Mama, this is Nezumi."

"Nezu... Nezumi?" Karan repeated, her gaze snapping to the blue-haired man. Nezumi met her eyes confidently, though he felt extremely nervous. This was the woman who raised Shion, after all. The person who made Shion into the lovely Shion that he currently was. The person that he took Shion away from. "The infamous Nezumi that you've been pining for all this time?"

"H-Hey!" Shion complained, a blush creeping up his cheeks as Nezumi bit back a laugh. "You really don't have to say it like that. Honestly..."

"Papa, can I get these?" Shionn's arms were full of various cakes and breads, smiling brightly. Shion sighed and made his way toward her, lightly touching Nezumi's arm as a reassurance before he did so.

"I told you only one... Hey, we'll have soup tonight, so pick something that'll go with that."

"I want something strawberry!"

Nezumi followed Shion with his eyes, smiling to himself as he saw what a capable papa Shion was actually being. He'd originally thought Shion was far too childish to be a father figure to anyone, but Shionn seemed to adore him and was turning out just fine. Of course, it was rather impossible to _not_ adore Shion.

"Nezumi-san."

Nezumi faced Karan again and cleared his throat nervously. She started walking towards him slowly, her eyes appraising him seriously, and he felt like he was supposed to be talking. "Karan-san, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Yes, it's nice to finally speak to you face to face," Karan replied, stopping a few feet in front of him. Karan smiled gently at him in a way that was extremely similar to Shion, and Nezumi remembered the times when he sent small, short notes to Karan to ensure her that her son was safe. Those were some of his weakest moments in the time of his and Shion's days in the West Block together, when he finally had enough of Shion's incessant worrying about his mother that he broke down and sent her a note.

"But papa, I want _strawberry_!"

"Shion, there are strawberry cupcakes in the back room," Karan called over to him, smiling. Shion gave her an immensely grateful look and mouthed '_thank you_' as he lead Shionn into the other room, flashing a quick grin to Nezumi before he disappeared behind the door.

Nezumi saw her gentle, kind face, and felt immense guilt for the second time that day. She looked so much like Shion. Shion, the precious son that Nezumi as well as stole from her. If Nezumi had never even come around, then her and Shion could still have their large, expensive home. Shion would have stayed in the Gifted Course and their lives would have stayed pristine and perfect. "Karan-san, I... I-"

"_Thank you, Nezumi_."

Karan took the final step forward and embraced him tightly, and her arms were so warm and _motherly_ that Nezumi had to choke back a sob. She was _thanking_ him? For what? For completely ruining and uprooting her life? Nezumi hesitantly hugged her back, his arm awkward around her waist. "I meant to apologize."

"For what?" Karan asked with a laugh. "You saved my son's life."

"It's my fault... that he was in danger in the first place," Nezumi murmured, avoiding her gaze. "If I hadn't... if I-"

"Nezumi, don't. You do the same thing that Shion does and worry too much," Karan scolded, but she was smiling and Nezumi was once again struck by how similar she was to Shion. She held out her arms and looked around the small, homey bakery. "I wouldn't have this. Shion wouldn't have been the hero of the city; there may not have even _been_ a city. Little Shionn wouldn't have a family, and may have died back on that day. Shion wouldn't be so happy like he is now. We wouldn't have anything if not for you, Nezumi. So don't feel guilty or sad about it, please. Thanks to you, we have so many beautiful things."

And Nezumi really _did_ sob then, though he'd never admit that to anyone else. He hugged that beautiful, wonderful woman again, mumbling his thanks over and over again as Karan laughed quietly, rubbing his back the way a _mother_ would and told him over and over again you're welcome, you're welcome, you're _welcome_.

"Thank you," Nezumi said one more time when the two separated, sniffing once more and a realizing he wasn't embarrassed at all that Shion's mama has seen him this way, when he was most vulnerable. He understood how Shion grew up to be the comfortable, lovable person that he was. The answer was smiling right in front of him.

"Oh, sweetie, you're supposed to be the strong one," Karan reached up to wipe the traces of tears off of Nezumi's face, smiling. "What would Shion say if he saw you this way?"

"He'll never know, never tell him," Nezumi grumbled, and Karan laughed again.

"Mama, we'll be taking these."

Karan and Nezumi turned to see an extremely shameful looking Shion with arms full of various sweets, Shionn by his side looking euphoric. Nezumi raised an eyebrow at Shion and Karan sighed dejectedly, as though she didn't really expect anything else.

"I caved," Shion said miserably, and Nezumi smiled fondly at him. Shion was a wonderful, airheaded, fantastic push-over, and Nezumi would never want it any other way.


	6. Chapter 6

"Shionn, why don't you go take a bath before dinner?" Shion suggested when they got back to the apartment later that afternoon. Shionn pouted childishly and crossed her arms, staying by the door rebelliously as Shion and Nezumi carried the bags of groceries to the kitchen.

"Why?" Shionn demanded, and Shion sighed as though he'd had this argument with her a thousand times. Which, Nezumi thought, they probably had.

"Because I doubt your mama made you, right?" Shionn refused to answer and Nezumi took that as confirmation. "Come on, please?"

"You'll smell like Inukashi's dogs," Nezumi said bluntly, and Shionn's eyes widened comically before she rushed out of the room, yelling about how she'd be back soon before they heard the bathroom door slam shut. Shion rolled his eyes while Nezumi laughed. "What?"

"You shouldn't tease her," Shion told him, pulling vegetables out of one of the shopping bags and putting them away in the refrigerator. "She'll be in there for hours."

"It worked, didn't it?" Nezumi replied. He assisted Shion in putting the groceries away. They worked at it in comfortable silence for a few minutes, once in a while catching each other's eye and smiling gently before continuing what they were doing.

"Oh, we never picked up your clothes," Shion said suddenly, when all of the groceries were put away. "They're back at home, right?"

"It's not home anymore, but yes," Nezumi reminded him, flicking him on the forehead and smirking when Shion put his hands over his forehead and pouted. "I should really go and get them."

"We can go tomorrow," Shion suggested, leaning back against the counter. "We can visit Inukashi if we do that, too... Oh, but I have work tomorrow."

"Work?" Nezumi repeated, uncomprehending for a moment. He'd forgotten that Shion was an actual adult with responsibilities these days. "Ah, that's right. You're all grown up and proper now."

"It's just the Committee," Shion defended, crossing his arms. The position was so childish that Nezumi decided to forget he ever considered Shion to be an adult. "These days, it's more meetings than anything. It's dreadfully boring. We spend the whole day inside, planning buildings and writing letters and finalizing plans. We should start the actual building, soon, since the snow's finally stopped."

Nezumi had to admit, Shion really sounded like an adult there. "Why don't I just go get my things by myself?"

"By yourself?" Shion echoed, looking confused. Apparently, the thought of Nezumi acting independently had never even crossed Shion's mind. "I-I suppose that would be fine."

"If I go now, I'll be back before dinner," Nezumi continued.

"Right now? It'll be dark pretty soon!" Shion protested, and Nezumi rolled his eyes. As though /that/ would be a problem. "Well... that's fine, I suppose. Just don't take too long, okay?"

"I'll be back soon," Nezumi told him, brushing Shion's hair back and kissing him gently on the forehead. He smirked at Shion's blushing face and took a step back, looking him up and down once more before heading towards the door. "I promise."

"If you promise," Shion murmured, but his voice was too quiet and Nezumi left the apartment without another word, slipping into his shoes on the way out the door. "... Hurry back."

* * *

Nezumi felt extremely out of place, walking down the streets of NO.6 by himself. With Shion by his side, who was so comfortable and familiar with the city, he could listen to Shion's chatter and smile easily and it would feel like any regular street in any regular city. He could even imagine that it felt like walking through the market in the West Block, or walking back from Inukashi's hotel. But when Nezumi walked by himself, his hands in the pockets of the jeans he borrowed from Shion, he had nothing to focus on and wasn't sure where to look. He felt uncomfortable when he caught the eye of another person, and felt equally uncomfortable when he stared at the sidewalk under his feet.

It was, though, a pleasant day to walk through the city by oneself. It was a relatively warm day, and it was easy to believe that spring would be upon them in a matter of weeks. The sun was still relatively high in the sky, and in the direction of the West Block the sun shown down harshly, and Nezumi had to shield his eyes to adjust to the glare. Shion would probably tell Nezumi that, illuminated by the golden sunlight, the West Block looked sort of beautiful. In fact, Shion found every opportunity to tell Nezumi how truly spectacular the West Block, whether it was due to the sunrise or the sunset or the snow or the rain. But, really, that was just how Shion was. He thought everything was beautiful in the right light. Nezumi smiled and laughed to himself, looking up at the sky again. Maybe Shion had a point, after all.

"Nezumi?"

Nezumi turned, just at the outskirts of the city where the homes weren't as close together and the landscape was rougher, and saw Inukashi walked towards him from the city, her arms full of bags of what Nezumi would only assume were groceries. He faced her and waited for her to reach him, eyebrows raised. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"I live over in the West Block, dumb ass," Inukashi grumbled. When they were close enough, she shoved a bag into Nezumi's arms. "It's only polite to carry a lady's groceries. I think you owe me, anyway." Inukashi's way of saying, '_We need to talk_.'

"I don't think I owe you anything," Nezumi shot back, but accepted the bag and walked beside her in silence. He wondered about his own feelings toward Inukashi, and could not think of an answer. He may respect her survival skills and strength, but he wasn't sure what he thought of her as a person. Brash and impulsive, she wasn't exactly pleasant to be around. And the fact that Shion was fond of her wasn't an incentive to befriend her, since Shion pretty much liked everyone that wasn't rude to Nezumi.

The West Block was slightly more lush than he remembered. In some places, there were patches of grass growing. He could even see a few trees growing that Shion must have imported from another city. Nezumi was once again overwhelmed with how much Shion had changed NO.6 while he was gone. Inukashi must've noticed Nezumi's expression and smirked.

"Different, isn't it? Not quite the hell hole it used to be. Still pretty bad, though, 'cause of those who refuse to accept the merge, but sometimes you can go out without getting shot," Inukashi said conversationally, shooting a sideways grin at the blue-haired man. "The hotel's real nice these days."

"Shion fixed it up, I'm assuming?"

"Of course, who else?"

"Perhaps Rikiga, or some other ambitious person," Nezumi said. "He's really done a lot around here."

"You don't even know the half of it," Inukashi said, adjusting the bags in her arms as a fond expression passed over her face. "All of the buildings and flowers, sure, but there are also the other things you can't see. Ya know, no one would accept us from 'round the West Block at first. Took one look at us and ran away screaming. Shion's the one who told them that we're really from NO.6, too, some time back. That we could be trusted. Didn't go so smoothly at first, but after about a year or so things calmed down and everything was fine."

"Shion's always wanted everyone to get along."

"And he calmed everyone down, too," Inukashi continued. "Since everyone was so riled up after the wall fell down. No one knew where to go. Shion was the one who got everything organized, ya know? Stood on top of what was left of the wall and told everyone it was okay, and that everything would be fine. And everyone believed him,'cause that's just how Shion makes you feel."

"Like everything will be okay," Nezumi repeated, and Inukashi nodded. They walked in silence until they reached her hotel, and Nezumi could tell that it was in much better shape even from a distance. The trash and rubble was removed from around it, and the roof had even been replaced. All in all, it wasn't a five-star hotel, but it was much better than it was before. "Extravagant."

"Watch your mouth, rat," Inukashi replied, but there wasn't her usual bite behind her words. Talking about Shion must've put her in a good mood.

Inside the hotel was an entirely different place. The wood paneling and carpet had been replaced, and Nezumi felt the faint breeze of airconditioning creeping towards them low on the ground from ancient vents. He followed her into the kitchen area, a room he'd never been in before. Before he could lament about the fact that this was the second time today he assisted in the unpacking of groceries, he helped her put them away without a complaint. Inukashi raised an eyebrow at his silence but didn't say a word, and the two of them worked together in silence for a moment.

"I'm not leaving," Nezumi said after a few minutes, and Inukashi glanced at him once before throwing away the last empty grocery bag, leaning against the refrigerator with her arms crossed. "I'm not."

"I've got a few reasons to believe otherwise," she replied coolly. "Four year's worth, actually."

"You don't understand," Nezumi said, looking down at the tiled kitchen floor. "I'm not going to explain myself to you, but believe me when I say that I didn't leave without a reason."

"You mean you were a coward," Inukashi snapped, and Nezumi looked back up at her and met her gaze evenly.

"Yeah. I was a coward."

Inukashi's eyes widened at the blunt confession.

"I was stupid and I'll admit that," Nezumi continued, crossing his arms. "But I'm here now. I'm not leaving. I wouldn't do that to Shion for a third time, I just wouldn't."

"I still don't get that," Inukashi admitted, none of the usual animosity in her voice. "What is it about Shion? I get that he's special, but you'd never cared about anyone the entire time I've known you."

Nezumi wasn't sure how to answer. Were there really words for it? He could say something like, "Because he saved my life." Shion certainly had, several times. There was the first time Shion saved him from a bullet wound when he was twelve, and the second time when they were sixteen in the Correctional Facility. When he fainted on stage as Eve, Shion was the one who brought him home and cared for him. Nezumi could also say, "Because he's the most important person to me in the world." That was also true, and they had a definite impact, but that didn't quite describe the way Shion completely lit up Nezumi's life like a candle.

So he just settled for, "He's Shion."

And Inukashi stared at him for a moment before nodding.

(linebreak)

"Papa? Where did Nezumi-san go?" Shionn skipped into the main room with dripping hair, and Shion smiled at her from the kitchen where he was cooking the soup that he always made for Nezumi and himself back in the West Block. Shionn walked into the kitchen and stood on her toes to look into the pot before looking back up at Shion. "I thought we were having another sleepover?"

"Nezumi went to pick up some things," Shion replied, and leaned down to pick Shionn up and place her on the counter where he sat when he and Nezumi were eating. "He'll be back before we eat."

"What is it?" Shionn asked curiously, and Shion scratched his cheek before grinning.

"Eye of newt," He began.

"Ew!" Shionn gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Toe of frog," Shion continued, and Shionn made another disgusted noise behind her hands. "And wool of bat."

"Papa, that's gross. I don't want it!"

"Cabbage, Shionn," Shion told her, tapping her on the nose and laughing. "You like cabbage."

"Oh! Okay!"

* * *

The sun was setting by the time Nezumi got to their old underground home, and the West Block was bathed in golden and red lights. Shion would probably call it beautiful, and Nezumi felt like he had to agree just then. He saw NO.6 in the distance- NO.6 this time, and not just the silhouette of a wall. There was a slight chill in the air at that point, reminding Nezumi that it wasn't spring just yet.

It was even colder in the library. Nezumi felt a distinct sense of loss when he opened the door and Shion wasn't waiting there for him, a mouse on his shoulder and a pot of soup in front of him. The room was as dusty as he left it yesterday and, purely out of habit, he lit the lantern by the door with the matches that he always hid inside.

The scavengers really took their toll on the library; most of his books were gone. Of course, they weren't taken for _reading_, but for kindling. There was no sense of companionship, no sense of loyalty between those who lived in the West Block. After the Man Hunt, you stole what you saw and you ran away with it. Usually, Nezumi was home to lock his door or fight anyone who dared touch anything that belonged to him, but he was slightly preoccupied with saving the city at that time. The blanket, too, was gone from the bed, and he felt it a blessing that the bare furnishings were still there. The couch and coffee table were still miraculously there, and it almost felt like a family just went away for a while.

_Hamlet_ was where he left it on the coffee table.

"_To be or not to be_," Nezumi murmured, taking the book in his hands and sitting down on the couch, putting his feet up on the table and opening the book. "That _is_ the question, isn't it?"

Nezumi flipped the page, and a small cloud of dust puffed up into his face. He leaned back and flipped through the pages absentmindedly and noticed all of the corners that Shion turned down whenever he had borrowed the book. The Nezumi from before would have been furious if anyone had so much as looked at his books, and yet he wasn't upset that Shion sometimes tore or dropped or bent the pages.

He had thought that he had come to terms with his feelings for Shion, but time and time again Shion proved him wrong by making a certain expression, or saying something unexpected, and Nezumi was instantly overcome once more. And when Inukashi asked him before why Shion was different, Nezumi was unable to answer. It was extremely frustrating to Nezumi, who read all of those books and knew so many words and never felt anything for anyone. So why, _why_ was Shion so difficult to explain?

Nezumi groaned and leaned back, closing his eyes. He thought about it for so long that he eventually drifted off to sleep, the only sound the flickering candle in the corner.

* * *

Nezumi wasn't back yet.

"Is Nezumi not having dinner with us?" Shionn asked when Shion took her empty bowl away from her, taking the plates to the sink. Shionn adjusted herself so she was sitting on her knees, straightened up so she could better see Shion across the small kitchen. "Thought he was gonna eat with us."

"Yes, well, I suppose I was wrong," Shion said without turning around, slowly scrubbing the dishes clean. "Sorry about that."

Shionn pursed her lips, like she could immediately tell that something was off from the sound of Shion's voice. She leaped off the stool and bounded over to Shion, leaning against his side and glancing up at him. "Papa?"

"You and me can have a sleepover," Shionn told him, smiling sweetly the way she always did. "It'll still be lots of fun!"

Shion smiled at her, but there was something different in his eyes that Shionn felt was distantly familiar, like a look she may have seen when she was only a baby. He wiped his hands off on a washcloth and turned off the sink before kneeling down to her height, brushing her hair away from her face and kissing her forehead gently. He tried not to think about how that was the same way Nezumi had said goodbye to him. "Thank you, sweetheart. I love you."

"Love you too, Papa," Shionn said cheerfully, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. She kissed his cheek softly before running out of the room again, always energetic the way children were.

Shion sighed and stood up again, leaning back against the counter and burying his face in his hands. _Nezumi said he'd come home, Nezumi said he'd come home. Nezumi said he'd be back soon_.

A small voice in the back of his mind told him that it wouldn't be the first time Nezumi lied to him, but Shion stubbornly ignored it. Nezumi told him that he'd be home, so he'd be home. That's all there was to it.

But Nezumi had left over five hours ago, and by then night had fallen. Shion could here the crickets and the sound of the city was dying as the night wore on. Shion let out another subconscious sigh, but quickly recomposed himself when Shionn came back into the room in her pajamas. "Papa, let's read tonight."

"Of course, princess," Shion smiled for her again and followed her to the bookshelf, closing his eyes as she chose which book she wanted so that he could hold back the tears that he was ashamedly trying to ignore. _Nezumi said he'd be back soon_.

* * *

Nezumi's eyes snapped open when the lantern's flame died out with a quiet hiss, and he was enveloped in complete darkness. What time was it? He had no idea.

He walked over to the bed and knelt down, sticking his arm under the frame and feeling around until he felt the rough, worn material of his bag and pulled it out from under the bed. That was the whole reason why he came out here in the first place, and it took him hours to get it. Granted, he did make a few side trips, but still. He stretched and blinked his sleepiness away before he slowly felt his way around the room to make it to the door, tripping over himself at least twice before he finally got his hand around the handle. As soon as he opened the door, moonlight spread in a small stream across the ground. He sighed in relief as he could finally see and made his way up he stairs. When he was halfway up, he went back to grab his copy of _Hamlet_.

All of the stars were out and the night was crisp. He shivered as he shouldered his bag and grasped _Hamlet_ tightly in his free hand. He slowly made his way toward NO.6, lights still visible in the city despite the late hour. Nezumi wondered again what time it was, and the night was dark enough that he knew it was relatively late. He had left when the sun was still high and now it's only proof of existence was it's reflection on the moon, half full and shining down on the barren ground of the West Block. He yawned and shivered again, walking towards the distant light of the city.

* * *

"You should get to sleep, you're exhausted," Shion said gently, and closed /Hamlet/ in his hands. Shionn shook her head stubbornly, her brown curls bouncing as she did so. She was leaning back against Shion's chest, however, and her eyes were half closed.

"Don't wanna," She murmured, snuggling against Shion and yawning. "Wanna stay up. S'what you do at sleepovers."

"We can have another one tomorrow and stay up all night," Shion promised her, since he knew she definitely wouldn't remember in the morning. He stood up and she clung to him tightly as he carried her into her bedroom, carefully placing her down on the bed and pulling the blanket around her. She didn't protest once, too tired and too drowsily excited by the prospect of two sleepovers in a row, even if it was just with Shion, whom she regularly lived with. "Goodnight, sweetie."

"Kiss," She demanded quietly, and Shion laughed before leaning down to kiss her forehead. She smiled sleepily and nodded again, and Shion wasn't quite sure what she was agreeing to. "G'night, papa."

He closed the door as silently as he could behind him, and slowly made his way into the main room. He glanced at the clock and winced internally. It was after two in the morning.

_He's coming back. He said he'd be back. He said no more goodbye kisses. And he doesn't lie_.

He sunk down on the couch and leaned back, closing his eyes. He wasn't going to think about it. Nezumi said he was going to come home, so he was, and that was all there was to it. Nezumi had come home before, he'll do it again. So what if he was running a bit late? A few hours late, though... _No_. He'll come back. He always comes back.

But it took him four years last time.

_Shut up, shut up, shut up_...

And who knows if he'll come back this time? He could go to NO.5 with all of the museums and stories, or NO.3 with all of the snow.

_Shut up, stop it, don't_-

Even if he did eventually come back, how long would it take this time? Four more years? Ten? Twenty? Maybe Nezumi really wasn't planning on coming home. Maybe he'd seen enough of NO.6 at this point and wanted nothing to die with it.

_No_!

"Nezumi wouldn't lie to me," Shion said to himself, nodding in personal reassurance. "He said he'd come home, so he will."

Shion yawned and lay down on the couch, opening Hamlet again and picking up where he left off with Shionn. These days, he could sometimes read all the way through without looking in the notations to see what a phrase meant. When Nezumi got back, Shion would tell him that. When Nezumi got back.

_Come home..._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

  
Wow, I can't even tell you how sorry I am. My lap top charger broke THREE TIMES over the summer. Which means I lost work every single time. It was kind of a heartbreaking summer, to be honest with you! However, I think that after rethinking things and writing them over again, I got it to be a lot better. That editing will really only come into play in the next chapter. There's a certain moment that I think is a WHOLE lot better!

Also, if any of you are following Wildflower Classrooms: I AM SO SORRY. I AM WRITING THE NEW CHAPTER NOW, I FINALLY THOUGHT OF HOW TO CONTINUE IT. It took me long enough, huh? I don't even want to go check how long it's been since I last updated it. (EDIT: I checked. Since June! WOW I AM SORRY!) But I will definitely upload it as soon as I finish.

I'm not used to having such a large following for my stories, and it makes me a little nervous. I just don't want to disappoint you guys and it makes me so anxious, I end up erasing chapters halfway through because I feel like it's not good enough. But I will try to be more confident, I will try to be a better writer, and I will try to update more often!

Thank you SO much for putting up with me, I owe you all a whole lot of happiness! I hope you liked it!


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